“How’s your mood”: Recorded physician mental health conversations with Chinese and Latino patients in routine primary care visits

Patient-physician communication patterns may influence discussions around depressive symptoms and contribute to engagement in depression care among racial/ethnic minority adults. We examined patient-physician communication about depressive symptoms during routine primary care visits with Chinese and Latino patients with and without language barriers. We examined 17 audio-recorded conversations between primary care physicians and Chinese (N = 7) and Latino (N = 10) patients who discussed mental health during their visit and reported depressive symptoms on a post-visit survey. Conversations (in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hoisan-wa, Spanish) were transcribed and translated by bilingual/bicultural research assistants and analyzed using inductive and deductive thematic and discourse analysis. Patients initiated mental health discussion in eleven visits. Physicians demonstrated care in word choice and sometimes avoided openly mentioning depression; this could contribute to miscommunication around symptoms and treatment goals. Interpreters had difficulty finding single words to convey terms used by either patients or physicians. Patients and doctors appeared willing to discuss mental health; however, variability in terminology presented challenges in mental health discussions in this culturally and linguistically diverse sample. Further understanding patient preferred terminology about mental health symptoms and interpreter training in these terms could improve patient-physician communication about depressive symptoms and treatment preferences. •Chinese and Latino patients initiate mental health discussion in primary care visits.•Physicians demonstrated care in word choice and hesitation mentioning depression.•Patients, physicians, and interpreters varied in terms used in mental health talk.•Physician and interpreter terms affect interaction and possibly clinical care.•Interpreters should be trained in the use of preferred mental health terminology.