title: Barriers to effective mental health services for African Americans.
abstract: Many African Americans--especially the most marginal--suffer from mental health problems and would benefit from timely access to appropriate forms of care. However, few seek treatment from outpatient providers in the specialty mental health sector and those who do are at risk of dropping out. African Americans visit providers in the general medical sector, although they use another hypothesized alternative to specialty care, voluntary support networks, less than other groups. These help-seeking tendencies may reflect characteristic coping styles and stigma, as well as a lack of resources and opportunities for treatment. More should be learned about differences in need according to location, social standing, and cultural orientation so as to identify treatments and programs that are especially beneficial to African Americans.
authors.affiliation: Center for Mental Health Services Research and School of Social Welfare, University of California-Berkeley, 94610-7400, USA. snowden@uclink4.berkeley.edu
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Snowden
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology