Obstacles for American Indians Seeking Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment

Identifying obstacles that hinder American Indians from seeking treatment for mental health and substance use problems is a health-services research priority. In this study, investigators examined 4 such obstacles among 224 American Indians who sought mental health and substance use treatment in the past year. The obstacles included wanting to solve the problem without treatment, wanting the problem to remain a secret, concerns about quality of care, and problems communicating and trusting healthcare providers.

• Between 45% and 64% of subjects reported facing at least one of the obstacles.
• Generally, obstacles were less common among subjects with social support and those who found their counselors useful. Obstacles were more common among subjects with anxiety and those in the Southwest tribe (versus the Northeast Plains tribe).

Comments:

Barriers at the individual, community, and organizational levels may account for the low proportion of American Indians who seek help for their mental health and substance use problems. Public health practitioners must recognize the heterogeneity among American Indians in order to provide appropriate and effective treatment for these disorders.

Jeffrey H. Samet, MD, MA, MPH

Reference:

Duran B, Oetzel J, Lucero J, et al. Obstacles for rural American Indians seeking alcohol, drug, or mental health treatment. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2005;73(5):819–829.