Mental healthcare--community style: a new network highlights effective care for people of color.(NEWS)

THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE national research effort to examine the mental health of people of color found that Asian Americans, Blacks and Latinos (except for Puerto Ricans) tend to have lower rates of mental health disorders than white Americans.

These findings, funded by the National Institute for Mental Health and published in the American Journal of Public Health, may be heartening to some, but researchers caution against using them to draw broad conclusions about treatment and needs. "Rates of disorders only tell part of the issue," explains Dr. David Takeuchi, a researcher who has used the data, noting that "comparing rates [across different groups] does not fully capture the need for services ... Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive mental healthcare and are less likely to receive quality care."

In an attempt to address these mental health access disparities among people of color, a new group was formed last year to bring together the many community-based organizations that have stepped in to address the needs in communities of color by providing culturally relevant care. The group, called the National Network to Eliminate Behavioral Health Disparities, currently includes 64 organizations and was formed by the federal Substance Abuse and ...