This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Richard L. Hough, PhD; John A. Landsverk, PhD; Marvin Karno, MD; M. Audrey Burnam, PhD; Dianne M. Timbers, PhD; Javier I. Escobar, MD; Darrel A. Regier, MD, MPH

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1987;44(8):702-709.

Abstract
• Utilization of general medical and mental health services by respondents in the Los Angeles Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) site was compared with that in three ECA sites studied previously (New Haven, Conn, Baltimore, and St Louis). Within the Los Angeles sample, Mexican-American patterns of utilization were compared with those for non-Hispanic whites. Los Angeles respondents were less likely than those at other ECA sites to make ambulatory health care visits and to be hospitalized for physical or mental health reasons. Mexican Americans were less likely than non-Hispanic whites to report ambulatory health care but were as likely to have been hospitalized. Six percent of Los Angeles respondents reported a recent mental-health-care visit as compared with 6% to 7% of respondents at the other ECA sites. However, among respondents with Diagnostic Interview Schedule DSM-III disorders diagnosed within the six months prior to the interview, a lower proportion made a mental health visit in Los Angeles (14%) compared with the other sites (16% to 20%). Of those who made a mental-health-care visit, Los Angeles respondents with a recently diagnosed disorder were more likely than comparable respondents at the other ECA sites to visit a mental health specialist rather than a general medical care provider. Mexican Americans with a recently diagnosed mental disorder were only half as likely as non-Hispanic whites (11% vs 22%, respectively) to have made a mental health visit. However, when Mexican Americans with Diagnostic Interview Schedule/DSM-III did make a mental health visit, they were as likely as non-Hispanic whites to see a mental health specialist.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Sociology, San Diego University (Dr Hough); Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA (Drs Landsverk, Karno, Burnam, Timbers, and Escobar); and Division of Biometry and Epidemiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md (Dr Regier). Dr Burnam is now with the Rand Corp, Santa Monica, Calif, and Dr Escobar is now with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut, Farmington, and Newington (Conn) Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Sept 30, 1986.

Reprint requests to Department of Sociology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182 (Dr Hough).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

A Longitudinal Study of the Use of Mental Health Services by Persons With Serious Mental Illness: Do Spanish-Speaking Latinos Differ From English-Speaking Latinos and Caucasians?
Folsom et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2007;164:1173-1180.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Correlates of Past-Year Mental Health Service Use Among Latinos: Results From the National Latino and Asian American Study
Alegria et al.
AJPH 2007;97:76-83.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Disparities in Depression Treatment for Latinos and Site of Care
Lagomasino et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2005;56:1517-1523.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Social and Behavioral Correlates of Cigarette Smoking among Mid-Atlantic Latino Primary Care Patients
Cox et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:1976-1980.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Utilization of Mental Health Services Among High-Risk Youths
Garland et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2005;162:1336-1343.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Depression in US Hispanics: Diagnostic and Management Considerations in Family Practice
Lewis-Fernandez et al.
J Am Board Fam Med 2005;18:282-296.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ethnic Disparities in Use of Public Mental Health Case Management Services Among Patients With Schizophrenia
Barrio et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2003;54:1264-1270.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Diagnostic Patterns in Latino, African American, and European American Psychiatric Patients
Minsky et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2003;60:637-644.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ethnic Matching of Clients and Clinicians and Use of Mental Health Services by Ethnic Minority Clients
Ziguras et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2003;54:535-541.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Mental Health Care for Latinos: Inequalities in Use of Specialty Mental Health Services Among Latinos, African Americans, and Non-Latino Whites
Alegria et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2002;53:1547-1555.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Mental Health Care for Latinos: Mental Health Services for Latino Adolescents With Psychiatric Disorders
Hough et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2002;53:1556-1562.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Mental Health Care for Latinos: A Research Agenda to Improve the Accessibility and Quality of Mental Health Care for Latinos
Lopez
Psychiatr. Serv. 2002;53:1569-1573.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Race, Gender, and Health Care Service Utilization and Costs among Medicare Elderly with Psychiatric Diagnoses
Husaini et al.
J Aging Health 2002;14:79-95.
ABSTRACT  

Use of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Services Among Adults With HIV in the United States
Burnam et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001;58:729-736.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Comparative Use of Biomedical Services and Traditional Healing Options by American Indian Veterans
Gurley et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2001;52:68-74.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Patterns of Rural Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Health Care Use: The San Luis Valley Health and Aging Study
Baxter et al.
Research on Aging 2001;23:37-60.
ABSTRACT  

Help Seeking by Persons of Mexican Origin With Functional Impairments
Peifer et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2000;51:1293-1298.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Limited English Proficiency and Latinos' Use of Physician Services
Derose and Baker
Med Care Res Rev 2000;57:76-91.
ABSTRACT  

Gaps in Service Utilization by Mexican Americans With Mental Health Problems
Vega et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 1999;156:928-934.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Comparison Study of an Elementary School-Based Health Center: Effects on Health Care Access and Use
Kaplan et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1999;153:235-243.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Racial/Ethnic Representation Across Five Public Sectors of Care for Youth
McCabe et al.
Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 1999;7:72-82.
ABSTRACT  

Elementary School-based Health Center Use
Kaplan et al.
Pediatrics 1998;101 :e12-e12.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Childhood Sexual Abuse among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White College Women
Arroyo et al.
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 1997;19:57-68.
ABSTRACT  

Patterns of Mental Health Service Utilization
Howard et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1996;53:696-703.
ABSTRACT  

Psychotherapist Bias with Hispanics: An Analog Study
Arroyo
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 1996;18:21-28.
ABSTRACT  

Automated Screening for Depression: Toward Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Uses of Computerized Speech Recognition
Mufioz et al.
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 1995;17:194-208.
ABSTRACT  

Use of Services by Persons With Mental and Addictive Disorders: Findings From the National Institute of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program
Narrow et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993;50:95-107.
ABSTRACT  

Community Mental Health Services for Hispanics: A Test of the Culture Compatibility Hypothesis
O'Sullivan and Lasso
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 1992;14:455-468.
ABSTRACT  

Mental Health Needs of the Uninsured
Norquist and Wells
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1991;48:475-478.
ABSTRACT  

One-Month Prevalence of Mental Disorders in the United States: Based on Five Epidemiologic Catchment Area Sites
Regier et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1988;45:977-986.
ABSTRACT  

Six-Month Prevalence of Specific Psychiatric Disorders Among Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites in Los Angeles
Burnam et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1987;44:687-694.
ABSTRACT