For my research essay I will be examining the color issue in antidepressant prescriptions.  A US study conducted by Wolters Kluwer Health Adis International indicates that whites are more likely to be prescribed antidepressants than blacks, latinos, and asians. I am going to illustrate that these results are not a result of doctor bias, but are a result of the cultural norms of these minority groups in combination with the unintentional bias of America’s health insurance system.

While cultural ideas about mental illness and doctors are a big factor in the people that do not get prescribed antidepressants, the way the health care system in America is set up creates an unintentional gap between races. Those who can afford private health insurance, which allows for greater access to antidepressants in brand name and generic versions, tend to be white. The resources I provide here will explain why health care and cultural norms affect who can take advantage of antidepressant prescriptions.

1. Diagnosis of Depression and Use of Antidepressant Pharmacotherapy Among Adults in the United States

Background: This scholarly journal details the study that analyzed diagnosing rates and prescription rates concerning antidepressants.

How I Intend To Use It: This will be the main source for my entire essay; without it, I have nothing to write about. It will also help to assure any critics that the study was not biased, and that the doctors involved were also not biased.

2. About the USPHS Syphilis Study

Background: This informative article brings to light the unethical and inhumane treatment blacks endured during the Tuskegee Syphilis Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male. Participators in this experiment went untreated for the disease and infected many others, despite being told that they were being treated.

How I Intend To Use It: Although the USPHS Syphilis Study is not associated with mental illness, it can be argued as a reason why many blacks have trouble trusting doctors and medicine in general. This explains why some blacks are never prescribed antidepressants even when they might have depression.

3. American Psychiatric Association: Latino

Background: A very simple article that breaks down how Latinos fit in with mental illnesses. It describes cultural issues, at-risk levels, and access to care in regarding mental illness among Latinos.

How I Intend To Use It: I an mostly interested in the cultural issues among Latinos because that will support my argument that tradition and misconceptions about mental illness lead to many Latinos not seeking professional treatment. Latinos use religion and family as a crutch to get through difficult times, which is why many don’t see doctors when they need to.

4. American Psychiatric Association: Asian Americans-Pacific Islanders

Background: Like the source above, this article underlies how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders fit in with mental illness. Factors such as rate of mental disorders, mental health issues, and cultural issues are discussed, with a strong emphasis on suicide rates as well.

How I Intend To Use It: Just like the previous article, I am more interested in why Asians might not be accounted for in antidepressant prescriptions. Culture plays a big role, as traditional family values from the older generations conflict with the mainstream culture of the younger generations. In general, mental illness is regarded as a weakness, and is heavily stigmatized.

5. People Without Health Insurance Coverage, by Race and Ethnicity

Background: This snippet of an article gives out the percentages of uninsured people based on their race and ethnicity. 30.4% of Hispanics/Latinos, 17% of blacks, and 9.9% of whites do not have health insurance (as of 2008).

How I Intend To Use It: Statistics are a critical element of my thesis. This data will be the basis of my argument that minorities are not being prescribed antidepressants because more of them are less likely to be covered by health insurance, which lower the prices on prescriptions.