OBJECTIVES : The objective of this research study was to examine whether racial/ethnic differences in receipt of MDD treatment could be explained by the specialty of provider diagnosing the adolescent.

METHODS : In this retrospective cohort study, adolescents (10-20 years-old) with ≥2 MDD diagnoses were identified using 2005–2007 Medicaid data from Texas. Patients were categorized based on the types of provider who gave the initial MDD diagnosis (psychiatrist (PSY-I), social worker/psychologist (SWP-I), and primary care physician (PCP-I)). Within the sub-cohorts identified by each type of provider, patients were further divided by racial/ethnic groups. A general linear multi-level model (MLM) was used to examine whether being first identified by a psychiatrist is associated with higher treatment rate and reduced variation in treatment utilization across racial/ethnic groups.

RESULTS : Of the 13,234-new pediatric MDD cases diagnosed during the study period, 61% were SWP-I, 33% by PSY-I and 6% by PCP-I. Results of the adjusted analysis showed that being first diagnosed by a psychiatrist is associated with higher chance of receiving MDD related treatment (PCP-I vs. PSY-I (OR: 0.54, 95%CI: 0.4-0.7) and SWP-I vs. PSY-I (OR: 0.17, 95%CI: 0.1-0.2)). Specifically regarding the receipt of pharmacotherapy, a significant interaction effect was detected between types of identifying providers and patients’ race/ethnicity. The analysis stratified by race/ethnicity found Whites received comparable treatment regardless receiving initial diagnosis from PCPs or PSYs, while for Hispanics, being first identified by a PCP is associated with lower likelihood of receiving treatment as compared to being first identified by a psychiatrist. Further analysis stratified by provider types showed that a significant racial/ethnic variation in medication utilization was observed in PCP-I, reduced in SWP-I, and disappeared in PSY-I.

CONCLUSIONS: For adolescents with MDD, being first diagnosed by a psychiatrist is associated with higher treatment rate and reduced racial/ethnic variation in the utilization of pharmacotherapy.