What CALD consumers say about mental illness prevention

Abstract

This article discusses what consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds said about mental illness prevention in a consultation conducted by the Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre (QTMHC). The consultative process was organised by two CALD consumer workers and involved a total of 28 CALD consumers, as well as eight consumer facilitators who received training from the QTMHC on interviewing and conducting focus group discussions with consumers from their own cultural background in their own language on mental illness prevention. CALD consumers drew on their personal experiences with mental illness to identify what may have made a difference to them personally in terms of prevention. They also discussed what service providers can do in both the multicultural and mental health sectors; the key issues they currently perceive as stressors for mental illness in their cultural communities (including for specific sub groups in communities at greatest risk); unmet needs and gaps in programs and services; existing activities within their communities that can further be supported or built upon to facilitate mental illness prevention; and what they as consumers would like to become involved in as part of a prevention strategy within their communities.