In May 2014, the Women’s Health & Equality Commission (WHEC) published ‘I am more than one thing’: a guiding paper by Imkaan, Positively UK and Rape Crisis England and Wales’ exploring issues around women’s mental health.
This report builds on existing evidence to highlight women’s experiences of poor mental health and wellbeing and their interactions with the mental health system. It also aims to identify support needs or barriers that women encounter in the process of seeking support across the voluntary and statutory sector. Whilst there are several factors that impact on women’s mental health, this guiding paper focuses on women’s mental wellbeing within the context of the effects of sexual violence, as well as different levels of social exclusion or marginalisation that may be experienced by black and minority ethnic (BME) women, and women affected by HIV.
