Minorities prefer depression counseling to drugs

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When it comes to depression therapy, minorities are more likely than whites to prefer counseling to medication, according to a large U.S. survey.

In an Internet survey of about 75,000 Americans, researchers found that African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans were two to three times more likely than whites to say they'd rather be treated with talk therapy than with drugs for depression.

Minorities were also less likely to believe that depression stems from biological changes in the brain and were more likely to think antidepressants are addictive, according to findings published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.

"This study documents that, overall, ethnic minorities hold attitudes toward depression and depression treatment that are distinct from those of white participants," lead study author Dr. Jane Givens, of Boston University Medical Center, said in a statement.

The preference many minority patients may have for counseling illustrates the importance of making such therapy available and covered by insurance, Givens and her colleagues point out.

Their findings come from a Web-based survey of adults who completed a standard questionnaire to gauge depression symptoms. After the respondents received feedback on the likelihood that they were depressed, they were asked about their attitudes toward depression therapy.

The researchers found that among the subjects with a high risk of depression, white respondents were more likely to prefer medication -- 42 percent would opt for antidepressants, while 34 percent would choose counseling.

In contrast, only 26 percent of African Americans preferred medication, while 54 percent would opt for counseling. For Asian Americans, 25 percent wanted drug therapy and 49 percent preferred counseling. Among Hispanic respondents, the corresponding figures were 32 percent and 46 percent.

Native Americans were the only minority group that showed preferences similar to white respondents.