Mental Health Service Use by Persons of Asian Ancestry With DSM-IV Mental Disorders in the United States

OBJECTIVES: This study compared the prevalence and odds of mental health service utilization among people of Asian ancestry with lifetime DSM-IV mood, anxiety, alcohol, and drug use disorders with utilization by members of other racial and ethnic groups with similar disorders. METHODS: Between 2001 and 2002, a total of 43,093 noninstitutionalized individuals were assessed by the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) study of lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders and mental health service utilization among various ethnic and racial groups. RESULTS: Among individuals with lifetime mood disorders, Asians had significantly lower mental health service utilization compared with whites (odds ratio OR=.31, 95% confidence interval CI=.21-.46), Hispanics (OR=.49, CI=.33-71), and Native Americans (OR=.27, CI=.15-.48) but similar utilization compared with blacks. There were no statistically significant differences in lifetime mental health service utilization for alcohol and drug use disorders among racial and ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Asians with lifetime mood disorders underutilized mental health services even after adjustment was made for socioeconomic variables and years of residency in the United States. Future studies of culture-specific attitudes, correlates, and barriers to mental health service utilization are warranted.