TY - JOUR
KW - African Americans/statistics & numerical data
KW - Aged
KW - Catchment Area (Health)
KW - Demography
KW - Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnosis/epidemiology/ethnology
KW - Depressive Disorder/diagnosis/ethnology
KW - Family
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Logistic Models
KW - Male
KW - Mental Health Services/utilization
KW - Middle Aged
KW - New York/epidemiology
KW - Primary Health Care/utilization
KW - Social Support
KW - Urban Population/statistics & numerical data
AU - C. I. Cohen
AU - C. Magai
AU - R. Yaffee
AU - L. Walcott-Brown
A1 - 
AB - OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine differences between depressed older black residents in an urban community who do and do not use formal mental health services. METHODS: The Treatment Group (TG) consisted of 106 black patients age >or=55 with a diagnosis of depression who were recruited from outpatient psychiatric programs in Brooklyn, NY. The Untreated Community Group (UCG) consisted of 101 cognitively intact black subjects age >or=55 from randomly selected block groups in Brooklyn who met symptom criteria for major or minor depression and had no previous history of psychiatric treatment. RESULTS: In logistic regression analysis, TG persons were significantly more likely than the UCG persons to be female, younger, born in the United States, to have impaired daily functioning, have a family history of mental illness, and believe that environmental factors and religious activities could influence mental illness. TG persons were significantly less likely to have social network members who provided advice, to use spiritualists or their products, to have vision or hearing impairments, and to have depressive symptoms. Although most UCG persons visited their doctor at least three times annually, only 11% reported using these physicians for help with mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of demographic and attitudinal factors, family psychiatric history, social supports, and functional impairments were associated with the use of mental health services. Despite reluctance of persons in the UCG to use primary-care physicians for mental health reasons, the latter remain the most feasible intervention point within the existing service system.
BT - The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
C5 - Healthcare Disparities
CP - 7
CY - United States
DO - 10.1176/appi.ajgp.13.7.545
IS - 7
JF - The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
N2 - OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine differences between depressed older black residents in an urban community who do and do not use formal mental health services. METHODS: The Treatment Group (TG) consisted of 106 black patients age >or=55 with a diagnosis of depression who were recruited from outpatient psychiatric programs in Brooklyn, NY. The Untreated Community Group (UCG) consisted of 101 cognitively intact black subjects age >or=55 from randomly selected block groups in Brooklyn who met symptom criteria for major or minor depression and had no previous history of psychiatric treatment. RESULTS: In logistic regression analysis, TG persons were significantly more likely than the UCG persons to be female, younger, born in the United States, to have impaired daily functioning, have a family history of mental illness, and believe that environmental factors and religious activities could influence mental illness. TG persons were significantly less likely to have social network members who provided advice, to use spiritualists or their products, to have vision or hearing impairments, and to have depressive symptoms. Although most UCG persons visited their doctor at least three times annually, only 11% reported using these physicians for help with mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of demographic and attitudinal factors, family psychiatric history, social supports, and functional impairments were associated with the use of mental health services. Despite reluctance of persons in the UCG to use primary-care physicians for mental health reasons, the latter remain the most feasible intervention point within the existing service system.
PP - United States
PY - 2005
SN - 1064-7481; 1064-7481
SP - 545
EP - 553
EP - 
T1 - Comparison of users and non-users of mental health services among depressed, older, urban African Americans
T2 - The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
TI - Comparison of users and non-users of mental health services among depressed, older, urban African Americans
U1 - Healthcare Disparities
U2 - 16009730
U3 - 10.1176/appi.ajgp.13.7.545
VL - 13
VO - 1064-7481; 1064-7481
Y1 - 2005
ER -