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This paper explores issues surrounding the under-representation of people from the Gujarati community in mental health statistics and services in the UK and asks why people from the Gujarati communities are less likely to seek assistance for mental health problems. It is well known that members of the African-Caribbean community are over-represented in mental health statistics, and this is attributed to factors such as racial discrimination, social adversity and stress of migration. However, members of the Gujarati community have also been exposed to these hardships, but are not similarly represented in the mental health statistics. The paper explores a selection of the key literature. Two questions are considered: first, whether this group genuinely has very good mental health (and if so why); and second, whether there are any factors that hold members of this community back from seeking help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In India, there is a large mental illness treatment gap, especially in rural areas. Contributors to this problem include stigma and a general lack of mental health knowledge. The State Health Department of Gujarat, India, released a video tool, in 2003, with the goal being to educate the community on topics related to mental health. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of the government-developed video tool to improve attitudes toward mental health in rural Gujarat. Settings and Design: Eight hundred and sixty-five individuals, in 17 villages in Gujarat, agreed to attend a mental health awareness workshop that used the government-developed video tool. One workshop was held in each village. A structured questionnaire evaluating attitudes was administered to the participants before and after the workshop. Subjects and Methods: government-developed video tool, standardized questionnaire for attitude evaluation. Statistical Analysis Used: A McNemar's test was used to evaluate the difference between pre- and post-scores. Results: A total of 711 participants completed the pre- and post-questionnaire. Attitudes related to psychosis, suicidal ideation, postpartum depression, learning disability, general mental illness, and perceptions of dangerousness showed significantly favorable improvement (P <.005). Attitudes related to substance abuse worsened (P < 0.005). Conclusions: Results suggest that a government-developed video tool can successfully improve short-term attitudes. Attitudes toward substance abuse may require a different approach than attitudes toward other types of mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]