Mental disorders and the use of alternative medicine: Results from a national survey

Objective: The study examined the relationship between mental disorders and the use of complementary and alternative medicine. Method: Data from a national household telephone survey conducted in 1997-1 998 (N=9,585) were used to examine the relationships between use of complem entary and alternative medicine during the past 12 months and several demog raphic variables and indicators of mental disorders. Structured diagnostic screening interviews were used to establish diagnoses of probable mental di sorders. Results: Use of complementary and alternative medicine during the past 12 m onths was reported by 16.5% of the respondents. Of those respondents, 21.3% met diagnostic criteria for one or more mental disorders, compared to 12.8 % of respondents who did not report use of alternative medicine. Individual s with panic disorder and major depression were significantly more likely t o use alternative medicine than those without those disorders. Respondents with mental disorders who reported use of alternative medicine were as like ly to use conventional mental health services as respondents with mental di sorders who did not use alternative medicine. Conclusions: We found relatively high rates of use of complementary and alt ernative medicine among respondents who met criteria for common mental diso rders. Practitioners of alternative medicine should look for these disorder s in their patients, and conventional medical providers should ask their de pressed and anxious patients about the use of alternative medicine. More re search is needed to determine if individuals with mental disorders use alte rnative medicine because conventional medical care does not meet their heal th care needs.