Racial and Ethnic disparities in Mental Health Care Utilization

This study investigates factors associated with the racial and ethnic disparities in antidepressant drug use, physician visits, and psychotherapy utilization. This study seeks to determine the extent to which disparities reflect differences in observable population characteristics versus heterogeneity across racial and ethnic groups. Among the population characteristics, I am interested in identifying which factors are most important in accounting for racial and ethnic disparities in these outcomes. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition techniques are employed to determine the extent to which disparities reflect differences in observable population characteristics versus unobserved heterogeneity across racial and ethnic groups.

Results show that Caucasians have the highest antidepressant drug utilization, doctor visits and psychotherapy visits. Differences in observable characteristics explain most of the ethnic differences in these outcomes, but not racial difference. Among the observed characteristics, language and access to health care facilities are the most important factors to explain the disparities.