Ethnic factors and service utilization

Ethnic minority patients who develop mental illness often do not use statutory services. This is a result of individual as well as systemic factors. The models of illness followed will influence pathways into care. In addition, if services are seen as inaccessible and inappropriate, individual patients and their carers are less likely to utilize them. There are also differences in utilization related to religion/ethnicity per se as well as geographical location. In this paper, some of the studies highlight factors that play a role in the utilization of services (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins.