Mental Health Campaigners Protest Against Alleged "Schizophrenia Epidemic"A letter of protest, signed by several service users, professionals and activists, against The Guardian article alleging a schizophrenia "epidemic" among British African-Caribbean community has been published by the newspaper. The letter, in response to the article "guardian article on schizophrenia and bme communities," published in December by The Guardian, states that the report of a high rate of ‘schizophrenia’ diagnosis among
British African Caribbeans is nothing new. However, conclusions about an
‘epidemic’ are worrying. First, ‘research’ such as the AESOP study is
fundamentally flawed because it uses narrow interpretations of what
diagnostic categories represent. Second, the word ‘epidemic’, implying
that Black people’s ‘schizophrenia’ may adversely affect others, is
indicative of a racist undertone in what the researchers are saying.
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