Research Issues for Improving Treatment of U.S. Hispanics With Persistent Mental Disorders

Abstract

This article reports on the outcome of an expert consensus meeting in August 2005 sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, which assembled 15 senior researchers with a background in treatment and services research with the Hispanic population. The purpose of the workshop was to identify research issues most pertinent for improving quality and effectiveness of treatment for Hispanics experiencing persistent mental disorders, defined as psychiatric syndromes that are of sufficient severity and duration to cause long-term impairment in social and occupational functioning and significant disability. The spectrum of ideas and recommendations advanced at the one-day meeting was wide and overlapping; therefore, the rich body of material was subsequently organized into five topics: diagnosis, quality of care and culturally appropriate services, psychosocial intervention development, psychopharmacologic interventions, and access to care. Although the authors recognize that the review was broad and the agenda presented is ambitious and in many instances generalizes to priority areas in overall mental health services and treatment research, the recommendations are intended to stimulate research for addressing the unique problems and research deficits that affect Hispanics with persistent mental disorders.

Mental Health Care for Latino Immigrants in the U.S.A. and the Quest for Global Health Equities*

“…Research papers have been published in journal special sections and some of these provide directions for future policy and research (e.g., López 2002;Vega et al, 2007;Zayas, 2010).…”

The efficacy of a behavioral activation intervention among depressed US Latinos with limited English language proficiency: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

“…In general, less than 5% of Latino immigrants afflicted with psychological disorders seek mental health services from specialized practitioners [14] due to a combination of linguistic and economic barriers, cultural stigma, and the lack of empirically supported treatments for this population [13-15]. Moreover, this group’s rates of treatment attrition are significantly higher than for non-Latino White-Americans [16,17].…”

Travel distance to outpatient substance use disorder treatment facilities for Spanish-speaking clients

“…Latinos are more likely than other ethnic minority groups to experience delays in accessing treatment (Wang et al, 2005; Wells et al, 2001) and receive less adequate services (Guerrero, 2010; Marsh et al, 2009). These two factors are associated with a low level of client satisfaction (Wells et al, 2001) and represent some of the most common barriers to behavioural health services among Latinos (Vega et al, 2007). Further, linguistic preferences significantly impact treatment adherence among Latinos (González et al, 2010; Guerrero & Andrews, 2011; Jani, Ortiz, & Aranda, 2009; Vega et al, 2007).…”

“…These two factors are associated with a low level of client satisfaction (Wells et al, 2001) and represent some of the most common barriers to behavioural health services among Latinos (Vega et al, 2007). Further, linguistic preferences significantly impact treatment adherence among Latinos (González et al, 2010; Guerrero & Andrews, 2011; Jani, Ortiz, & Aranda, 2009; Vega et al, 2007). In particular, limited availability of bilingual treatment services is highly associated with high levels of attrition from SUD treatment among Latinos when compared with other racial/ethnic groups (Campos, Yang, Urada, Hunter, & Tiburcio, 2009; Glick & Moore, 1996; SAMHSA, 2002; Shorkey, Windsor, & Spence, 2008).…”