The report into the tragic death of David Bennett has shown beyond doubt the importance of stepping up efforts to improve mental health care for black people in Britain," Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) chief executive Dr Matt Muijen said

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“The report into the tragic death of David Bennett has shown beyond doubt the importance of stepping up efforts to improve mental health care for black people in Britain," Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) chief executive Dr Matt Muijen said today, 12/2/04. In the light of recent research examine whether institutional racism is present within psychiatric services.

David Bennett (DB), who was a 38 year-old Afro-Caribbean patient, died in The Norvic Clinic, a medium secure psychiatric unit in Norwich, at the end of October 1998 after being restrained by staff.

David Bennett was born in Jamaica on 5th February 1960 and came to the United Kingdom in 1968; and lived with his family in Peterborough. David gained 5 C.S.E’s in school and thereafter worked as a sign writer for some three years before leaving due to the onset of his illness.

Mr. Bennett first showed signs of mental illness in 1980, help was sought from his GP and a consultant psychiatrist at The Psychiatric Unit at Peterborough General Hospital, they were dismissive of his illness and he was later diagnosed with cannabis intoxication at the local psychiatric unit (Gables). He was taken home to be cared for but his health deteriorated and was referred back to Gables where he had at least two episodes of in-patient treatment from 1980 – 1984.

In 1984 DB received a Community Rehabilitation Order with conditions to receive psychiatric treatment; however he then went on to breach this order. In 1985 he received six months custody, his condition again deteriorated and within a month he was back in Gables this time diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

Although this diagnoses was made, the inquiry states that neither DB nor his supportive family were ever fully informed about his illness. Nevertheless for the next 13 years DB was in and out of mental institutions, over medicated and generally feared due to his athletic physique and the colour of his skin.

The inquiry found that there were many instances of racial abuse towards DB by other patients which was not dealt with appropriately. It also found that DB’s cultural, social and religious needs were not met

On the night of his death, David Bennett was removed from the Drayton Ward to the Norvic clinic following an incident with a white patient. This particular patient was repeatedly racially abusive towards him throughout the whole incident. Whilst on the Norvic ward it was stated that Mr. Bennett struck a nurse, following this he was restrained face down by several nurses for over twenty-five minutes until he collapsed and died (David Bennett report).

This essay will examine the David Bennet story and highlight the important features of race, ethnicity, racism and mental disorder. It will also investigate whether there is institutionalised racism within psychiatric services and look at possible solutions.

Race is defined in the Encarta Concise Dictionary as any one of the groups into which the world’s population can be divided on the basis of physical characteristics such as skin, hair or colour (pg 1192). The importance of race and ethnicity is in their application to people. Therefore a person catergorised to a particular ethnic group is more than likely to be stereotyped or labeled and not seen as an individual but as a carrier of various qualities which is assumed to be consistent with the category Fernando (2002).

Racism is the belief that people of different races have different abilities and that some races are more superior to others Encarta Dictionary (2002). Fernando (2002) states that it is a value judgment about people and that it is associated with power. Once this belief is embedded into society then institutionalized racism can occur. The Macpherson report (1999) defines this as the collective failure of an organization to provide appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic background. It can be viewed in processes, attitudes and behaviours which amount to discrimination through prejudice or ignorance which disadvantage the minority ethnic people.

 ‘Mental health’ derives from a particular tradition of medical research and practice which does not provide a neutral stance from which to analyse or represent the way other culture’s conceptualise disorders of the person and social behaviour. To begin with, the boundary between disorders of the mind (the province of internal medicine) is itself a cultural construction which underlines the segmentation of a class of illness we refer to as ‘mental’. Fernando (2002).

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The Mental Health Act 1983 makes provisions for those suffering from mental illness and those under compulsory detention into mental institutions. Compulsory admission can only be made via an approved Social Worker or the nearest relative. The application will only be approved once the individual has been assessed by two medical practitioners. This process of ‘Sectioning’ a patient has led to many patients including David Bennett often being denied help and then end up being detained against their will once their situation has deteriorated.

The Equality of Human Rights Commission states that black people with mental health problems are ...

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