NHS Finds “Deeply Rooted Prejudice” In Scotland
February 01, 2010
A recent study as undertook by the NHS in Scotland has linked “deeply rooted prejudice” as found in society to mental health problems.
Dimension of Diversity report, by NHS Health Scotland, has found that minorities such as the LGBT community, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities experience diminished mental health, the direct result of “deeply rooted prejudice based on fear of difference”.
The report read: “LGB people – especially younger people and bisexual individuals – have poorer mental health and well being than the general population. Depression and anxiety, suicidal thoughts and self-harm, eating disorders and substance misuse show higher prevalence rates among LGBT people. Young gay and bisexual men are four times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. One in five lesbian or bisexual women have self harmed in the past year, compared with around 1 in 20 in the general female population.”
“Underlying these illustrations of victimisation and poor self-worth are intolerant and discriminatory attitudes held by a sizable minority of the Scottish population. People in Scotland are less accepting of those with a different sexual orientation than they are of other minorities. For example, in 2006, 33% of Scottish adults reported they would be unhappy/very unhappy if a relative formed a relationship with someone of the same sex.”
“LGB people are a cross-section of Scottish society. None of us is defined solely by our sexual orientation. But we may be negatively defined by others because of it, and suffer prejudice and detriment to health as a consequence. Working to reduce levels of homophobic prejudice generally is thus both an important underpinning to general health improvement for the LGBT population and a specific requirement for improved mental health.”
The end result read that there is limited information on the LGBT community in Scotland, but plans have been made to improve the data in order to provide better information on the LGBT community.
Dr David Gordon, lead author of the report said: “This report captures how diverse Scotland really is and emphasises how everyone is made up of multiple characteristics.”
“It brings together, for the first time, existing data about many of the components of people’s identity and background including their age, gender, religion, ethnicity, disability and so on.
“We hope it will contribute to a better understanding of the complex causes of disadvantage and how they can affect our health in many different ways.
“It is important that those working to reduce health inequalities are able to consider more carefully what impact diversity may have on people’s health and their health needs. We hope this report will help them do that.”
For more information on the report visit http://www.scotpho.org.uk/diversityreport.
