Use of inpatient mental health services by members of ethnic minority groups.
National data on psychiatric hospitalization point to marked ethnic-related differences. Blacks and Native Americans are considerably more likely than Whites to be hospitalized; Blacks are more likely than Whites to be admitted as schizophrenic and less likely to be diagnosed as having an affective disorder; Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders are less likely than Whites to be admitted, but remain for a lengthier stay, at least in state and county mental hospitals. These differences are clear-cut, but they ignore a major source of care: psychiatric hospitalization in placements other than psychiatric units and hospitals. Explanations for observed minority-White differences in hospitalization can be evaluated only partially or not at all: Such explanations include ethnic-related differences in socioeconomic standing and in the prevalence of major psychopathology; differential stigma, or capacity to tolerate or support a dysfunctional significant other; access and use of alternative services; and bias in the behavior of gatekeepers, especially practitioners assigning diagnostic labels and making involuntary commitment decisions. More research is needed to help explain these striking differences in utilization.
Snowden
L R
LR
School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
Cheung
F K
FK
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008913:Minority Groups; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States