Mental health needs and service utilization in a predominantly black community

This study examined social indicators of the Mental Health Demographic Profile System as predictors of both mental health needs and utilization of mental health services in a black community served by a metropolitan CMHC. Over a two-year period, it was found that only four social indicators were significant predictors of the need-utilization relationship in that census tracts that had a higher percentage of nonhusband/wife households, large families, overcrowded housing, and working mothers with preschool children tended to have higher service utilization. Further, census tracts that had higher utilization in the first year remained higher utilizers of services in the second year. Implications of these findings in terms of proximity to the CMHC are discussed.