Engaging Women Who Are Depressed and Economically Disadvantaged in Mental Health Treatment.

Converging evidence suggests that women disadvantaged by poverty or racial and ethnic minority status are more likely to experience depression than the rest of the U.S. population (Bruce, Takeuchi, & Leaf, 1991; Kessler, 2003; Kessler & Neighbors, 1986). At the same time, they are less likely to seek or remain in treatment for depression in traditional mental health settings. What might account for this problem, and what can mental health clinicians do about it? Here we briefly describe the problem and then discuss the practical, psychological, and cultural barriers to seeking and remaining in mental health care for women of color and white women who are depressed and economically disadvantaged. Also presented is a description of the engagement interview--not a therapy, per se, but a brief, therapeutic strategy designed to be implemented before treatment to address and resolve barriers to treatment seeking. DEPRESSION AND LACK OF TREATMENT ENGAGEMENT AMONG ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED WOMEN