Julia Terry: Hidden inequality for deaf people in Wales

The most well-known statistic about mental health is that 1 in 4 of us will have a mental health problem at some point in ourlives. But, did you know that Deaf people are at twice the risk of having mental health problems?

The reasons are complex, and include isolation and loneliness.

Deaf children are usually born to hearing parents who have little knowledge of deafness and don’t know many Deaf people or anything about Deaf culture.

Children who are deaf and born into hearing families can often have language deprivation, which means a child may not have access to naturally occurring language during their critical early years. Experiences are more positive for deaf children who have Deaf parents.

Often we notice that deaf children are denied opportunities in terms of education and employment mostly due to limited resources and lack of access, and in the long term this can have a major impact on their mental health.

Another major issue for Deaf people is the lack of equity of access to health and care services. So many services expect everyone to use audio services, to phone for GP appointments, with many services not accessible to people who are Deaf.

Frustrations around a lack of access, having medical appointments with no BSL/English interpreter confirmed, relying on family members for help and a lack of signposting all add to the likelihood of Deaf people experiencing poor mental health.

How do we find out health information? There seems to be a lot of luck in it. Often Deaf people are not recorded as being Deaf in their primary healthcare records, so not even GPs know that they need to ensure there is an accessible conversation with accessible information too. Rarely is their BSL information available on specific health conditions.

And if people’s communication preferences are not even listed on GP records, we know that health appointments might not get off to a good start.

Certainly there are people who have good healthcare experiences, and some services who could teach others a thing or two! What is frustrating is that little has changed over time, and people can become accepting of negative experiences or a lack of Deaf-friendly services.

Many Deaf people have been aware of these issues for decades, and in Deaf communities too often we are aware of people who have taken their own lives having struggled with despair and low mood for years.

In the UK, in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland we have specialist Deaf mental health services for Adults and specialist Deaf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Deaf CAMHS) for young people under 18 years of age.

These specialist services include both inpatient and community services with many Deaf people working in these teams. However, Deaf people in Wales who have mental health problems are disadvantaged because Wales is the only UK country that does not have a dedicated Deaf mental health service.

It was this inequality of mental health provision that led a group of Deaf and hearing professionals in Wales to work together and become the All Wales Deaf Mental Health and Well-Being Group. People involved either work in Deaf charities, in universities or have worked in Deaf communities for years, and have extensive knowledge of the mental health struggles that Deaf people in Wales have experienced.

We have produced a report called Deaf People Wales: Hidden Inequality.

The aim of the report is to raise the issue with Welsh Government and other stakeholders, to make a case for change and to campaign for improvements to mental health services for Deaf people in Wales. As a starter, a signposting service for people, families and workers would be very helpful.

In Wales it has been through Deaf and hearing people working together that we have pooled our knowledge of the risks Deaf people have around mental illness.

Wales are the only UK country to have four Deaf Mental Health First Aiders who have been educating Deaf communities about the risk of mental health problems and what the initial steps might be around seeking help.

Working together with the British Society for Mental Health and Deafness, the British Deaf Association, the  the Royal Institute for Deaf People, Wales Council for Deaf People and the Centre for Sign, Sight and Sound has been key in the development and launch of the report.

The All Wales Deaf Mental Health and Well-Being Group have asked that Senedd Cymru, the Welsh Government raise a bill for debate, and seek to work more closely with Welsh Health Boards to see significant progress and improvements to mental health services in Wales for Deaf people.

By Julia Terry. Julia is an Associate Professor at Swansea University. She has been working in mental health for over 30 years. She can be found talking more about health inequalities on Twitter @JuliaTerry123  and on her webpage