Racial–Ethnic Variation in Mental Health Service Utilization Among People with a Major Affective Disorder and a Criminal History

Abstract

Using a nationally representative sample, this study examined the extent to which the utilization of various mental health services was associated with racial–ethnic identity among people with major affective disorders who have a criminal history. Approximately 33.7 % of the sample received any type of mental health services in a given year. Multivariate models indicated that married Blacks and Latinos were less likely to use specialty mental health care than their white counterparts. To provide equitable mental health treatment for vulnerable subgroups of this population, mental health professionals should account for the heterogeneity of mental health care in diverse cultural contexts.