Public outpatient mental health services: use and outcome among Asian Americans.

Use of public outpatient mental health services and treatment outcomes were studied among Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and Southeast-Asian Americans in Los Angeles County. Filipinos were underrepresented in the system, whereas Southeast Asians were overrepresented and had higher utilization rates, but showed less improvement, than did the other groups. The influence of therapist-client ethnic match and of clinicians' professional status were assessed, and recommendations are made for further research based on present findings.