• Katherine Sanchez, Michael O Killian, Brittany H Eghaneyan, Leopoldo J Cabassa, and Madhukar H Trivedi.
• School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, 211 South Cooper Street, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA. KSanchez@uta.edu.
• Bmc Fam Pract. 2019 Oct 21; 20 (1): 140140.

BackgroundLow use of anti-depressant medication, poor doctor-patient communication, and persistent stigma are key barriers to the treatment of depression in Hispanics. Common concerns include fears about the addictive and harmful properties of antidepressants, worries about taking too many pills, and the stigma attached to taking medications and seeking mental health treatments. In 2014, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) funded the Depression Screening and Education: Options to Reduce Barriers to Treatment (DESEO) project to implement an education intervention designed to increase disease literacy and dispel myths about depression and its treatment among Hispanic patients thus reducing stigma and increasing treatment engagement.MethodsThe DESEO study utilized a one-group pretest-posttest design to assess the effects a culturally-adapted Depression Education Intervention's (DEI) on depression knowledge, stigma, and engagement in treatment in a sample of 350 Hispanic primary care patients with depression. The DEI utilized a fotonovela, a health education tool available in English and Spanish that uses posed photographs, captions, and soap opera narratives to raise awareness about depression and depression treatments.ResultsParticipants reported significant decreases in depression symptoms and reported stigma about mental health care. Additionally, participants reported increased knowledge of depression yet greater negative perceptions about antidepressant medication. Finally, 89.5% of participants reported entering some form of treatment at follow-up.ConclusionsCulturally adapted depression education shows promise in increasing understanding of depression, decreasing stigma, and increasing treatment engagement among Hispanic patients in a community-based health center. Results have implications for practice in addressing common concerns about depression treatments which include fears about the addictive and harmful properties of antidepressants, worries about taking too many pills, and the stigma attached to taking psychotropic medications.Trial RegistrationThe study was retrospectively registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov : NCT02491034 July 2, 2015.

32 keywords...

hide…