The role of treatment setting and high acuity in the overdiagnosis of schizophrenia in African Americans.
Multiple studies have shown that significant disparities exist in the diagnosis of schizophrenia between African Americans (AAs) and Whites with severe mental illness. This phenomenon has been a topic in the literature for nearly three decades, yet it remains unclear what factors contribute most conclusively to the overdiagnosis of schizophrenia in AAs. The purpose of this article was to collectively examine the contributing factors identified in the literature and to discuss the role of acuity and treatment setting in overdiagnosis as well. A variety of client-level (higher rates of use of psychotomimetic substances in AAs) and care process-level (misinterpretation of cultural mistrust as paranoia, under detection of depression, similarities in diagnostic criteria between mood and psychotic disorders, provider bias, miscommunication between patient and provider, changes in diagnostic criteria, differences in diagnostic practice between providers, and a lack of sufficient data obtained) factors emerged as influential in overdiagnosis. However, in this review, it also emerged that AAs tendency to use emergency and acute care services, a systems level factor, could be related as well. It is possible that assessment at a time when symptom acuity is severe might increase the likelihood of a schizophrenia diagnosis in AAs.
University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. michellehamp@yahoo.com
Michelle
M
DeCoux Hampton
D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel / Q000208:ethnology; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D015982:Bias; D003657:Decision Making; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010259:Paranoid Disorders / Q000208:ethnology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000458:organization & administration; D011287:Prejudice; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology; D013597:Systems Analysis; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data