(hbns.org) Some ethnic minorities could be twice as likely as white and Native American people to prefer counseling and prayer to medication for treating depression, according to a national Internet survey.
African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians who took the survey were skeptical about the biological basis of depression and wary of becoming addicted to antidepressants, according to Jane Givens, M.D., of Boston University Medical Center and colleagues.
The survey results appear in the latest issue of the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.
“This study documents that, overall, ethnic minorities hold attitudes toward depression and depression treatment that are distinct from those of white participants,†Givens said.
The findings are important because studies show that while minority and white populations suffer from similar rates of depression, diagnosis and treatment are less likely for members of minority populations.
Junling Wang, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Tennessee, College of Pharmacy, recently published a study showing that African-American and Hispanic patients use SSRI antidepressants, which include commonly prescribed medications such as Prozac and Zoloft, less often than white patients do. (more…)
I’ve noticed this response in my own self. When it comes to certain treatments, I just do not trust the medical profession. Accompanying parents on both sides of the family combined with my own personal experiences, I have seen just how easy it is for doctors to flippantly recommend certain drugs without fully understanding the side effects themselves. But again, that is just my little experience.
And before someone says it, yes I know this is not representative of all doctors.
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