summary
background Young people who are born outside the Netherlands (or have at least one parent born outside the Netherlands) make less use of the mental health services than one might expect.
aim To find out whether the under-use of these services is related to the average income or to the ethnic composition of the districts concerned.
method The relationship between average income, ethnic composition and the percentage of youth treated per district was analysed on the basis of postal codes.
results The ethnic composition of the district was related to the percentage of young persons using the mental health services, but the average income was not.
conclusion On the basis of district variables, the under-use of the youth mental health services was found to be an ethnic or cultural problem, not a poverty problem.