New research: How Black British communities respond to mental distress (Published July 2026)

We're proud to share our recently published study in BMJ Connections Mental Health, exploring how Black British communities recognise, cope with and make sense of mental distress. Working with 36 community members, mental health professionals and practitioners from third sector African and Caribbean organisations, we wanted to move beyond the usual question of why people don't access services, and instead understand the rich, often overlooked ways people already care for their mental health within their own communities.

We identified five interconnected themes: drawing on inner resilience (though sometimes through emotional suppression and coping alone), turning to faith, church and prayer, escapism through substances, physical and creative release, and the support of trusted peers. What stood out is that many of these responses are culturally meaningful and can be genuinely protective, yet some can also delay help-seeking or deepen distress when relied on in isolation or over the long term. For anyone thinking about their own wellbeing, or that of someone they love, the message is a hopeful one: the strategies that already exist within our communities matter, and good mental health care should recognise and work alongside them rather than replace them. This is the thinking we bring into our practice, and we hope this research contributes to more equitable, culturally responsive support for everyone.

You can read the full paper below, or access it directly via BMJ Connections Mental Health.

Citation: Alademerin O, Griffiths SL, Brown L. How do Black British communities culturally respond to mental distress: a qualitative reflexive thematic analysis. BMJ Connections Mental Health 2026;1:e000040. doi:10.1136/bmjcment-2025-000040

Read online: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjcment-2025-000040