Asian American communities have important and unmet mental health needs, but there is comparatively little research data on process and outcomes that can guide evidence-based approaches to mental health care. This paper describes our experience of building research programs in a community-based health care facility, some of the challenges we faced, and barriers that were overcome. We have learned that a) mental health services research can be carried out in a community health center with minimal intrusion on usual patient flow; b) the effort must be shared between the health center and the community; c) barriers to participation in mental health research programs are multifactorial ranging from conceptual, cultural, and attitudinal biases to practical concerns inherent in the ethnic minority population; and d) resistance can be overcome by working with participants' cultural and social needs and using their explanatory belief models when developing and pursuing studies.

This study assessed the impact of the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks on emotional problems, prescription drug usage, and utilization of medical and mental health services within the Chinese community in lower Manhattan. We administered a survey to 148 randomly selected Chinese workers affected by the WTC attacks in March 2003. Although nearly half of the respondents had elevated PTSD and/or elevated depression scores, only a few (4.4%) had talked to a counselor. However, nearly all (86%) reported having visited a physician at least once since September 11, 2001. Individuals with elevated PTSD scores were significantly more likely to have gone to a physician after 9/11. They were also more likely to have received prescription drugs and to indicate an interest in counseling after 9/11 than individuals with low PTSD scores. The findings highlight the role of the primary care physician as gatekeeper for mental health symptoms after a disaster. They further suggest that primary care physicians should use screening tools for depression and posttraumatic stress after a major disaster and that they should be sensitive to potential emotional problems that are associated with somatic complaints.

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