Many Black Americans may have unique risk factors for schizophrenia that are less common in the general population, according to Khadijah Watkins, MD, Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
At the same time, there may be a higher rate of misdiagnosis of schizophrenia among Black Americans. In this video, learn the complex risk factors for schizophrenia in Black Americans and why it is sometimes misdiagnosed.
Dr. Watkins is a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she's the Associate Director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and was previously the Associate Training Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program.
References
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (N.D.). Black/African-American.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). Schizophrenia.
Olbert, Charles M, et al. (2018). Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Meta-analysis of Black vs. White racial disparity in schizophrenia diagnosis in the United States: do structured assessments attenuate racial disparities?.
Schwartz, Robert C, et al. (2014). World Journal of Psychiatry. Racial disparities in psychotic disorder diagnosis: a review of empirical literature.
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