Recognizing and treating major depression is complicated by the challenge of incorporating ethnicity and cultural factors. While the prevalence of major depression is slightly higher in white patients, evidence suggests that minor depression is more common in minorities. For many reasons, the overall experience of disease burden and treatment barriers is also greater in minority patients. Potential diagnostic disparities frequently translate into differential treatment patterns, with implications for clinical and quality of life outcomes. Appropriate care for minority patients involves a complex interplay of appropriate access to care, illness recognition, health beliefs and a willing to seek treatment, patient-provider dynamics, cultural and family support, and the availability of mental health specialists and informal sources of care. Furthermore, understanding pharmacologic effects across ethnic groups and potential drug interactions is an essential consideration for successful treatment. A deeper exploration of these dimensions will enable healthcare systems, providers, and patient advocates to address the unique needs of minorities with psychological problems.

This special issue is seeking original papers on comparative research, clinical or community level interventions, innovative treatment approaches, and cross-cultural issues pertinent to reducing ethnic disparities while improving care provided to patients with depression. We also solicit review articles on crucial yet previously unexplored topics, along with conceptually based or qualitative studies. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Health beliefs, illness insight, treatment priorities, and the care-seeking process
• Genetics and pharmacodynamics
• Financial barriers or other access problems
• Use of complementary and alternative medicine, informal sources of care
• Healthcare reform efforts and policy implications for addressing ethnic mental health
• Medical comorbidities and care coordination
• Therapeutic alliance, cultural views of clinical power dynamics
• Patient-centered care and developing self-activated patients
• Unique issues regarding age, gender, and religious or sexual orientation
• Treatment retention and medication adherence
• Stigma, familial or social pressure as barriers to disclosure
• Specific treatment modalities (e.g., CBT, atypical antipsychotics)

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/drt/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: