London
Borough of Lewisham. We provide a range of community
about us.....
Family Health Isis is a community organisation with a Day Centre based in
the
London
Borough of Lewisham. We provide a range of community
mental health services to African and African-Caribbean people who live and
work in the borough.
Family Health Isis was founded in June 1986 by a group of mental health
professionals, service users and community workers, and was initially
launched as:
The Black Mental Health Group.
The aims of the group were and still remain...
to provide a staffed centre aimed specifically at meeting the needs of African
and African Caribbean people with mental health problems, currently or in
the past, along with their carers, family and friends.
to encourage discussion and exploration of mental health issues by the
African Caribbean community.
to facilitate a positive contribution by the African Caribbean community to
mental health service planning and delivery.
and to work collaboratively with statutory and independent agencies to
ensure greater choice and flexibility in service provision to the African Caribbean
community
our ethos....
Family Health Isis ethos is developed from the following accepted “facts”
that there is an accepted over representation of black people in
psychiatric hospitals,
that there is a much higher rate of diagnosis of schizophrenia amongst
African and African Caribbean people
that black people are more likely than white people to enter a psychiatric
hospital formally
that once black people have gained access to mental health services,
they are likely to experience the most basic of treatments
and that there is a disproportionately high rate of schizophrenia
amongst people from African and African Caribbean communities as
compared to the rates of schizophrenia in their native countries
Isis is working to provoke dialogue and research into the impact of race, and
racism in mental health. There is evidence that there is an overrepresentation
of black people in the mental health system. The material provided in our letter
provides a basis for this research, and forms the basis of Isis intervention.
Family Health Isis recognises the importance of African and African Caribbean
groups carrying out research themselves and recommends the following studies
all carried out by Black led projects.
Family Health Isis has completed two research studies which cover
the following issues:
“Positive Thinking on Mental Health”. by J. Frederick (1991).
Reports on the experiences and perceptions of local African Caribbean people
who have experienced mental health difficulties along with the views of their
families and friends
“Reachin’ Out” . by J. Frederick (1996).
Provides a model of service development for a voluntary project to serve the
needs of a local African / African Caribbean communities