A SURVEY by Mind, the national leader of local charity Dorset Mind, has revealed that existing inequalities in society have had a greater impact on the mental health of people from different Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) groups than white people during the coronavirus pandemic.

14,000 adults with mental health problems living in England and Wales took part in the online survey which found that 30 per cent of BAME people said problems with housing made their mental health worse during the pandemic, compared to 23 per cent of white people. It also found that concerns about finances worsened the mental health of 52 per cent of BAME people, compared to 45 per cent of white people.

Overall mental health and the impact of the pandemic on wellbeing were roughly the same for all groups surveyed, with around 60 per cent of adults saying their mental health had worsened during lockdown. However, the mental health charity has warned that the findings raise concerns that the fall-out of the pandemic will disproportionately affect some communities far more than others into the future.

Marcel Vige, head of equality improvement at Mind, said: "As society faces up to the discriminatory impact of coronavirus on particular BAME groups, including rates of infection and tragic loss of life, our survey provides evidence of how people within these groups are also being hit hardest by mental health problems stemming from economic impact of COVID-19 on areas such as housing and employment.

"In the midst of protests calling out systemic racism, we’re urging the Government to address such deep-seated inequalities experienced by particular BAME groups. Social injustice and systemic inequality will not go away in the natural course of the nation’s recovery from the pandemic. In fact, injustice and inequality are likely to increase as temporary supportive measures - such as the furlough scheme and pausing benefit sanctions - come to an end."

For more information, visit https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/existing-inequalities-have-made-mental-health-of-bame-groups-worse-during-pandemic-says-mind/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=campaigns&utm_content=bame%20survey%20news%20story.