Treatment of Depression in African American Primary Care Patients

Depression is a common and costly psychiatric condition, affecting nearly 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population in a given year (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2003), and the functional disability associated with this condition is comparable to or worse than many chronic medical conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension (Broadhead, Blazer, George, & Tse, 1990; Wells et al., 1989). Individuals suffering from depression seek help as frequently from their primary care physician (48%) as from mental health specialists (49%) (Narrow, Regier, Rae, Manderscheid, & Locke, 1993). However, depression frequently goes unrecognized and untreated in primary care settings (AHCPR Depression Guideline Panel, 1993). In this report we examine depression in African Americans, focusing specifically on the prevalence of this disorder, mental health treatment, and the effectiveness of evidenced-based psychotherapy and medication for African Americans with depression.