This study compared the diagnosis and treatment of white American psychiatric patients to those of black, Mexican, Vietnamese, and Filipino American psychiatric patients (N = 293) in four public mental health agencies. Aspects of diagnosis examined were primary psychiatric diagnosis, somatic complaints, and social, legal, and economic problems. Aspects of treatment studied were treatment modality, duration of treatment, frequency of treatment, number of visits, and therapists' disciplines. Although important differences among groups emerged, the pronounced differences in diagnosis and treatment reported in the literature between whites and ethnic minorities were not supported. This might be partially attributed to the similarity of economic class among these samples.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AndersonJ. N. (1983) Health and illness in Pilipino immigrants. Western Journal of Medicine, 139, 811–819.
2.
BarrerraM. (1978) Mexican-American mental health service utilization: A critical examination of some proposed variables. Community Mental Health Journal, 14(1), 35–45.
3.
CampbellT.ChangB. (1981) Health care of the Chinese in America. In HendersonG.PrimeauxM. (Eds.), Transcultural health care. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley. Pp. 162–171.
4.
CarterJ. H. (1974) Recognizing psychiatric symptoms in black Americans. Geriatrics, 29, 95–99.
5.
CatonC. L. M. (1981) The new chronic patient and the system of community care. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 32, 475–478.
6.
CobbC. W. (1972) Community mental health services and the lower socioeconomic classes. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 42, 404–414.
7.
EddinsE. A. (1972) Proposed changes in health care practices in the black community. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 42, 222–226.
8.
GriffithM. (1977) The influence of race on the psychotherapeutic relationship. Psychiatry, 40, 27–40.
9.
Hankins-McMaryL. D. (1979) The effects of institutional racism on the therapeutic relationship. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 17(1), 25–31, 54.
10.
KeefeS. E.PadillaA. M.CarlosM. L. (1979) The Mexican-American extended family as an emotional support system. Human Organization, 38, 144–152.
11.
KennedyJ. G. (1973) Cultural psychiatry. In HonigmanJ. J. (Ed.), Handbook of social and cultural psychiatry. Chicago. IL: Rand-McNally. Pp. 1123–1126.
12.
LinT. Y. (1983) Psychiatry and Chinese culture. Western Journal of Medicine, 139, 862–867.
13.
MaduroR. (1983) Curanderismo and Latino views of disease and curing. Western Journal of Medicine, 139, 868–874.
14.
MitchellA. C. (1978) Barriers to therapeutic communication with black clients. Nursing Outlook, 26, 109–112.
15.
MueckeM. A. (1983) In search of healers-Southeast Asian refugees in the American health care system. Western Journal of Medicine, 139, 835–840.
16.
Murillo-RohdeI. (1981) Hispanic American patient care. In HendersonG.PrimeauxM. (Eds.), Transcultural Health Care. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley. Pp. 224–239.
17.
PadillaA. M.RuizR. A.AlvarezR. (1975) Community mental health services for the Spanish-speaking surnamed population. American Psychologist, 30, 892–904.
18.
RendonM. (1974) Transcultural aspects of Puerto Rican mental illness. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 20, 18–24.
19.
SagerC. J.BrayboyT. L.WaxenbergB. R. (1972) Blade patient—white therapist. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 42, 415–423.
20.
SchwartzS. R.GoldfingerS. M. (1981) The new chronic patient: Clinical characteristics of an emerging subgroup. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 32, 470–474.
21.
SharpeL.GurlandJ.FleissR.KendallR.CooperJ.CopelandJ. (1974) Comparison of American, Canadian and British psychiatrists in their diagnostic concepts. Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal, 19, 235–245.
22.
Smith Kline Corp. (1978a) Cultural issues in contemporary psychiatry: The Asian-Pacific American. Philadelphia, PA: Author (Continuing Education Series, audiotape).
23.
Smith Kline Corp. (1978b) Cultural issues in contemporary psychiatry: The Hispanic American. Philadelphia, PA: Author (Continuing Education series, audiotape).
24.
SnowL. F. (1983) Traditional health beliefs and practices among lower class black Americans. Western Journal of Medicine, 139, 820–828.
25.
SueS. (1977) Community mental health services to minority groups. American Psychologist, 32, 616–624.
26.
SueS.McKinneyH. (1975) Asian Americans in the community mental health care system. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 45, 111–118.
27.
SueS.MorishimaJ. K. (1982) The mental health of Asian Americans. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
28.
ThomasD. N. (1981) Black American patient care. In HendersonG.PrimeauxM. (Eds.), Transcultural health care. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley. Pp. 209–223.
29.
TownsendJ. M. (1975) Cultural conceptions and mental illness: A controlled comparison of Germany and America. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorders, 160, 409–421.
30.
TrevinoF.BruhnJ. G. (1977) Incidence of mental illness in a Mexican-American community. Psychiatric Annals, 7, 33–51.
31.
VontressC. (1981) Racial and ethnic barriers in counseling. In PedersonP.DragunsJ.LonnerW.TrimbleJ. (Eds.), Counseling across cultures. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. Pp. 87–107.
32.
WarheitG. J.BellR. A.SchwabJ. J. (1979) Needs assessment approaches: Concepts and methods. Rockville, MD: U.S. Government Printing Office. Pp. 113–114.
33.
WeaverC.SklarD. (1980) Diagnostic dilemmas and cultural diversity in emergency rooms. Western Journal of Medicine, 133, 356–366.
34.
WestermeyerJ. (1977) Psychiatry in Indochina: Cultural issues during the period 1965–1975. Transcultural Psychiatric Research, 14, 23–38.
35.
WhiteE. H. (1977) Givng health care to minority clients. Nursing Clinics of North America, 12(1), 27–40.
36.
WilliamsS. J.DiekrP.DruckerW. L.RichardsonW. C. (1979) Mental health services: Utilization by low income enrollees in a prepaid group practice plan and in an independent practice plan. Medical Care, 17, 139–151.
