Cultural Problems in Psychiatric Therapy

WHAT happens to a patient of a "visible minority group" when he seeks psychiatric treatment? At the Los Angeles County General Hospital Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic we found out what happened to such a minority group patient after he applied for treatment and was seen initially by a therapist. We were especially interested whether these minority group patients were offered therapy and if so, what type. By "visible minority group" we mean Negroes, Mexican Americans, and Orientals and not one of the ethnic Caucasian groups, ie, minority groups, who are easily distinguishable from the majority Caucasian group. In our clinic, a patient can get individual therapy, group therapy, or drug therapy. Some patients are seen once and are discharged as being unsuitable for therapy or not needing psychiatric treatment. Our interest in this problem stems from the fact that our Outpatient Clinic population includes a