Mental Health, Diversity and Equality

Diversity refers to the range of different types and groups of people within society - specifically it refers to those who are in a minority group and are therefore perceived as different by the majority of the population. Equality refers to practice that is pro active in avoiding discrimination. To be in a minority puts a person at risk of discrimination. We tend to refer to people's differences to ourselves and these references can be discriminatory and painful. Here are some examples: People refer to a person's sexuality only when it is not heterosexual e.g. one might refer to a 'gay man' but rarely do we identify someone as a 'straight man' (except in a comedy duo!) When a shop is run by a Chinese, Indian or Pakistani person we refer to it when we talk about the shop - never when the shopkeeper is Scottish We might talk about a disabled person using their disability as the main point of reference e.g. 'Jim in the wheelchair' Whilst these references are not usually deliberately discriminatory they tend to mean that we are most aware of their 'differentness'. One of the main needs we have as social beings is a sense of belonging. Our mental health can suffer if we feel discriminated against or feel marginalised because we are different. Usually it is not the fact of being different that makes a person more likely to experience mental distress, it is the additional stress of being different that causes certain groups to be more prone to mental health problems. This is because we live in a society that prizes conformity. Race and Ethnicity Sexual Orientation Disability Gender Identity Age Religion or Belief