# Speaking our Mind, 2021

A first of it's kind Scottish report on BPoC children and young people’s mental health, advocating for the development of a specialised response to the significant but hidden impact of race and racism on mental health.  

The report is based on consultations undertaken with BPoC children and young people in February 2021, as well as feedback from counsellors who are involved in IYS’ Mental Health service, which so far has supported approximately 30 BPoC children and young people (aged 12-24) in the first quarter of 2021.  
  

Key findings of the report

*   Encountering racism and hearing about racism against others had a clear  
    negative impact on many of the children and young people’s mental health. This  
    manifested in various ways, including feelings of isolation, hurt, anger, loss of motivation;  
    constant worrying; hypervigilance; unsettlement; and self-doubt.
*   While some children and young people said their families supported them in their  
    mental health needs, overall, the young people described their difficulty in speaking about  
    their emotions with their families due to stigma and lack of acknowledgement of mental  
    health difficulties within some communities. Instead, those suffering from poor mental  
    health were encouraged to ‘be strong’, ‘get over it’ or ‘pray’. Older generations’ attitudes  
    were linked to the survival hardships and structural and interpersonal racism they  
    experienced, which may also contribute to intergenerational trauma.
*   Worryingly, most children and young people did not feel they could discuss race and  
    racism and their effect on their mental health with school staff or other adults with authority.  
    Reasons included that they did not feel they had a safe space to do so and that racist  
    incidents were not taken seriously by school staff and other adults.
*   Some children and young people’s mental health was also negatively affected by  
    cultural expectations, especially gendered ones, and by the challenges of negotiating  
    identity and belonging as second- or third-generation immigrants.
*   BPoC children and young people experience a wide range of barriers to engaging  
    with mental health services, including thinking the problems they face are not serious  
    enough to merit engaging with mental health services; not acknowledging mental health  
    issues until they reached a breaking point; lack of knowledge about available services; and  
    misunderstandings of counselling. Altogether, these barriers reflect the hidden dynamics  
    of structural racism in the mental health sector – the alienation and marginalisation  
    of BPoC children and young people.

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