Black or Black British people in England were detained under the Mental Health Act at nearly four times the White rate in 2024–25.
That figure is for people, all sexes, not a published Black-men-versus-White-men rate.
The reasons are not settled. The government-commissioned Independent Review of the Mental Health Act (2018) described people reaching crisis unsupported, with the first contact increasingly being the police, and recorded Black service users' reports of discrimination. The statistic itself does not prove that Black people are “more mentally unwell,” and it does not prove a single cause. What it does show is a documented disparity in detention.
That is NHS England Digital data. Published 18 September 2025. Recorded. Still too little discussed.
I am Dr Kennedy Umege, a UK GP (GMC 7592446; GP Register from 31 January 2023). Registered qualification: MB BS 2004, University of Port Harcourt. UK-registered since August 2018. This article is a briefing many Black British families were never given. It is general health education. It is not personal medical advice. It does not represent the NHS or any NHS employer.
Why Some People Fear Being Sectioned
The Independent Review found that Black African and Caribbean men are significantly over-represented among people subject to compulsory powers under the Mental Health Act.
The same review reported that people of Black African or Caribbean heritage were over eight times more likely than White people to be placed on Community Treatment Orders.
Fear can stop people asking for help early.
Understanding what the system does is the first step to changing how you move within it.
What the NHS Data Actually Shows
Let me give you the published figures -- not estimates, but government and NHS data.
NHS England Digital, Mental Health Act Statistics, Annual Figures 2024–25, chapter on detentions by group, published 18 September 2025 (last edited 26 September 2025; data 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, England):
- Black or Black British: 262.4 detentions per 100,000 population
- White: 65.8 per 100,000 — the lowest broad ethnic group that year
- NHS Digital’s own wording: detention rates for the Black or Black British group were nearly four times those of the White group
Those rates are not sex-specific. The same publication reports males 90.1 vs females 80.0 per 100,000 overall, with no ethnicity × sex table in that chapter. There is therefore no official “Black men vs White men, nearly 4×” figure to put in a title.
White British was 64.9 per 100,000. A more detailed group, “Any Other Black Background,” was 780.3 — NHS England Digital reports this as twelve times the White British rate.
The older GOV.UK Ethnicity Facts figure — Black people 3.5× White in the year to March 2023 (228 vs 64 per 100,000, page published 16 August 2024) — is true for that year. It is no longer the lead statistic. Use it only as history.
This is the highest detention rate of any broad ethnic group recorded in that 2024–25 chapter.
The Independent Review of the Mental Health Act (the Wessely Review, 2018) found that people from ethnic minority communities are far more likely to be subject to compulsory powers under the Act, whether in hospital or in the community.
The review also said that chances for early help are missed too often, and that people can then reach crisis unsupported.
The Two Pathways: GP Referral vs Crisis Entry
Here is the critical thing to understand about why this disparity exists: the route into mental health services matters enormously.
The voluntary pathway: Early contact with a GP leads to referral to talking therapies or a community mental health team before symptoms escalate.
The crisis pathway: When early symptoms go unaddressed -- because of stigma, distrust, or past experiences of being dismissed -- symptoms worsen. Instead of a GP referral, it becomes a 999 call from a neighbour. Police. A&E. A crisis team assessment at the point of acute breakdown.
The review said that, increasingly, the first contact in a crisis is with the police rather than with healthcare.
What People Told the Review, and the Role of Stigma
Black service users who gave evidence to the Independent Review described feeling that discrimination shaped their care.
If stigma is stopping you or someone you love from asking for help, you do not have to wait for a crisis.
The 2024–25 data show a detention rate for Black or Black British people nearly four times the White rate. The data do not show why.
What You Can Do Today: Three Practical Steps
1. Use the voluntary pathway before crisis removes the choice
If it is not an emergency, your GP is a good starting point. Be direct: "I am worried about my mental health. I need help." If you need urgent help, call 111 and select the mental health option. If someone's life is at risk, call 999 or go to A&E.
For many problems, such as anxiety and depression, you can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies without speaking to a GP. You need to be registered with a GP and aged 18 or over (16 or over in some areas). Search "NHS Talking Therapies" at nhs.uk.
2. Know your legal rights under the Mental Health Act
If someone is detained under the Mental Health Act, NHS.uk says they have the right to:
- see an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA)
- appeal to the Mental Health Tribunal or the hospital managers.
Their nearest relative can also ask for a Mental Health Act assessment.
To see an advocate, ask the nurses on the ward or the hospital manager (NHS.uk). The charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness also publish guides to Mental Health Act rights.
3. Advocate -- specifically, calmly, in writing
If a family member's cultural context is not being considered, say so. Ask what diagnosis has been given and why. Ask what alternative treatments were considered. You can ask these questions.
Where the System Stands Now
The Wessely Review made recommendations for reform. The Mental Health Bill received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 and is the Mental Health Act 2025. Commencement No. 1 (SI 2026/385) brought sections 51 and 52 into force on 6 April 2026 (Human Rights Act duties for some private providers; a statutory review of CQC under-18 notification). As of 28 September 2026, only sections 51 and 52 had been brought into force by commencement regulations (legislation.gov.uk). Commitments are not outcomes.
The disparity was already described in the 2018 review and is still present in the 2024–25 data.
What I want you to leave with is not despair. It is knowledge.
The disparity is documented. Not your imagination. Published data from NHS Digital, GOV.UK, and a government-commissioned review. Documented problems can be challenged -- in consulting rooms, in hospitals, in appeals tribunals, and in policy consultations. But only by people who know they exist.
If you are a Black person who has ever felt that mental health services were not built for you, you are not imagining the disparity. The 2024–25 detention data agrees that a disparity exists. It does not reduce you to a rate.
A companion video is in production. This article is the live written version. Crisis routes below do not wait for a video.
If You or Someone You Love Needs Help Now
Do not wait.
- Urgent help: call 111 and select the mental health option, or ask for an urgent GP appointment.
- Samaritans: call 116 123.
- If you're under 19: you can also call Childline on 0800 1111.
- Emergency: call 999 or go to A&E if someone's life is at risk or you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe.
If you or someone else is at immediate risk, seek urgent help now through emergency services or your local crisis pathway.
Getting help is not weakness. It is the most important thing you can do for yourself and for the people who need you here.
References
- NHS England Digital. Mental Health Act Statistics, Annual Figures 2024–25. Detentions: differences between groups of people. Published 18 September 2025. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-act-statistics-annual-figures/2024-25-annual-figures/detentions-differences-between-groups-of-people
- GOV.UK Ethnicity Facts and Figures. Detentions under the Mental Health Act. Year to March 2023; page 16 August 2024. Historical 3.5× only. Link
- Wessely S. et al. (2018). Modernising the Mental Health Act: Final report of the Independent Review. Crown Copyright. Link
- NHS.uk. Mental Health Act (reviewed 18 March 2026). https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/social-care-and-your-rights/mental-health-and-the-law/mental-health-act/
- NHS.uk. Where to get urgent help for mental health. https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/
- NHS.uk. NHS Talking Therapies. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/
- legislation.gov.uk. The Mental Health Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/385). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/385/made
This content is for general health education only. It does not replace individual medical advice. Always consult your own doctor for personal health decisions. This is independent educational commentary. It does not represent the NHS or any NHS employer.
Dr Kennedy Umege, UK GP (GMC 7592446; GP Register from 31 January 2023). MB BS 2004, University of Port Harcourt. UK-registered since August 2018.