Racial-Ethnic Disparities in Outpatient Mental Health Care in the United States.

Psychiatr Serv

Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City (Olfson, Wall); Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, Maryland (Zuvekas, McClellan); Department of Psychiatry and Department of Population Health Sciences and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City (Hankerson); National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda (Blanco).

Published: July 2023

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study compared outpatient mental health care usage among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White individuals in the U.S., using data from a national survey.
  • Results indicated that White individuals were more than twice as likely to use mental health services compared to Black and Hispanic individuals, with significant differences in the types of treatments received.
  • The authors concluded that addressing racial-ethnic disparities in mental health care access and treatment is crucial for improving equity in mental health services for Black and Hispanic individuals.

Article Abstract

Objective: The authors aimed to compare national rates and patterns of use of outpatient mental health care among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White individuals.

Methods: Data from the 2018-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative survey of U.S. households, were analyzed, focusing on use of any outpatient mental health care service by non-Hispanic White (N=29,126), non-Hispanic Black (N=7,965), and Hispanic (N=12,640) individuals ages ≥4 years (N=49,731). Among individuals using any mental health care, analyses focused on those using psychotropic medications, psychotherapy, or both and on receipt of minimally adequate mental health care.

Results: The annual rate per 100 persons of any outpatient mental health service use was more than twice as high for White (25.3) individuals as for Black (12.2) or Hispanic (11.4) individuals. Among those receiving outpatient mental health care, Black (69.9%) and Hispanic (68.4%) patients were significantly less likely than White (83.4%) patients to receive psychotropic medications, but Black (47.7%) and Hispanic (42.6%) patients were significantly more likely than White (33.3%) patients to receive psychotherapy. Among those treated for depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or disruptive behavior disorders, no significant differences were found in the proportions of White, Black, or Hispanic patients who received minimally adequate treatment.

Conclusions: Large racial-ethnic gaps in any mental health service use and smaller differences in patterns of treatment suggest that achieving racial-ethnic equity in outpatient mental health care delivery will require dedicated efforts to promote greater mental health service access for Black and Hispanic persons in need.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20220365DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

mental health
40
outpatient mental
24
health care
24
health service
12
mental
10
health
10
non-hispanic black
8
non-hispanic white
8
psychotropic medications
8
minimally adequate
8

Similar Publications

Black Americans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder have less access to mental healthcare compared to White Americans. Many factors contribute to this inequity, including broader disparities within the healthcare system driven by systemic racism, and an underutilization of mental health services by Black Americans due to provider bias and stigma around mental health care. These disparities are rooted in a racist historical context of exclusion and abuse of the Black community by the White psychiatric establishment, and a perpetration of further trauma on Black clients, a context that is largely missing from traditional mental health education and literature on Black mental health today.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among Mozambican youth aged 15-24 years, as well as their help-seeking behaviors.

Methods: Data from 8,154 youth participants in the 2022-23 Mozambique Demographic Health Survey were analyzed. MDD and GAD were assessed using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Informal caregivers may face challenges, especially during the pre-transplant phase. We have learned about the challenges faced by informal caregivers during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; there is a lack of consensus about the challenges faced by them before transplantation. We identified the psychosocial well-being of informal caregivers to patients before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fluid biomarkers play important roles in many aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's disease (HD). However, a main question relates to how well levels of biomarkers measured in CSF are correlated with those measured in peripheral fluids, such as blood or saliva. In this study, we quantified levels of four neurodegenerative disease-related proteins, neurofilament light (NfL), total tau (t-tau), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and YKL-40 in matched CSF, plasma and saliva samples from Huntingtin (HTT) gene-positive individuals (n = 21) using electrochemiluminescence assays.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!