Understanding the stigma: a novel quantitative study comparing mental health attitudes and perceptions between young British Muslims and their non-Muslims peers.

Background: A significant proportion of young British Muslims identify themselves by religious identity rather than ethnicity however very few mental health studies have focused on this cohort.

Aims: To explore whether young British Muslims' knowledge, awareness and perceptions of mental illness differ to their non-Muslim peers.

Method: Population based survey of second generation Muslims ( = 83) and non-Muslims ( = 76) aged 18-35. Anonymised 38-item questionnaire on mental health attitudes, perceptions and help seeking behaviours.

Results: Muslims were less likely to correctly identify symptoms of mental illness compared to their non-Muslim peers. Stigma and awareness remains a major issue. A third of Muslims would consider stopping medication on advice of a religious leader. Nearly half of Muslims were more likely to attend a dedicated ethnic/religious mental health service.

Conclusions: British Muslim views and attitudes of mental health differ from their non-Muslim counterparts. Services should ensure they are religiously sensitive.