Symposium 77 - Patterns of inequity in mental health care: Trends and correlates of mental health treatment utilization among minoritized individuals at risk for suicide

Chair(s)

• AS

  Ana Sheehan, M.A. (she/her/hers)

  Graduate Student
  University of Delaware
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 

  Kerri-Anne Bell, M.A. (she/her/hers)

  Graduate Student
  University of Notre Dame
  South Bend, Indiana

Discussant(s)

• RL

  Richard Liu, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

  Associate Professor
  Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  Boston, Massachusetts

Presenter(s)

• AS

  Ana Sheehan, M.A. (she/her/hers)

  Graduate Student
  University of Delaware
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 

  Kerri-Anne Bell, M.A. (she/her/hers)

  Graduate Student
  University of Notre Dame
  South Bend, Indiana
• CO

  Caitlin O'Loughlin, M.A. (she/her/hers)

  University of Notre Dame
  Dayton, Ohio
• KS

  Ki Eun Shin, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Assistant Professor
  Long Island University, Post
  Brookville, New York

Two decades ago, the Surgeon General released a report documenting striking disparities in representation of minoritized populations in mental health services, and called for the redistribution of available services to address these gaps in the U.S healthcare system. Since the release of this report, work examining racial/ethnic trends in mental health treatment utilization suggest limited progress has been made. Concurrently, rates of suicide have continued to rise within the United States, with the rates of suicide increasing more than 30% in the last two decades (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Although rates of suicidal behavior differ across racial/ethnic groups, there remains limited understanding of patterns and trends of treatment utilization across minoritized populations. Therefore, there remains an urgent need for research that examines racial/ethnic differences in patterns of treatment utilization, particularly among individuals who may be identified as at elevated risk for engagement in self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs). 

The current symposium presents the results of four empirical studies aimed at characterizing trends and disparities in mental health care utilization among racial/ethnic minoritized individuals with a history of SITBs. The first talk by Ana Sheehan will provide an overview of trends in mental health treatment utilization across racial/ethnic groups over the period from 2008 to 2020, characterizing these trends in a nationally representative sample of adults. 

The next two talks will focus on patterns in treatment engagement among ethnoracial minoritized individuals with a history of SITBs. Kerri-Anne Bell will characterize treatment engagement among adults with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury, including treatment setting, length of care, and referral avenues, and explore racial and ethnic differences in these outcomes. Relatedly, Caite O’Loughlin will address mental health treatment engagement among Black adults compared to White, and Hispanic individuals. This work will also explore the impact of race-related stress and suicide risk on mental health treatment utilization among Black individuals.

Finally, our symposium will conclude with an exploration of treatment outcomes across multiple marginalized identities. Speaker, Ki Eun Shin, will examine differences in patterns of suicidal ideation and mental health treatment utilization among college students with intersectional identities. Our Discussant, Richard Liu, will provide a summary and thoughtful commentary on the state of knowledge of treatment utilization among high-risk individuals from minoritized backgrounds, and implications for addressing ongoing disparities in care among these groups.