Objective: This study examined disparity in bipolar disorder treatment for black and white Americans.
Methods: The sample included 167 respondents to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication who had lifetime type I or II bipolar disorder. Treatment adequacy and potential correlates were assessed.
Results: No black respondent received minimally adequate mood-stabilizing treatment, and blacks were less likely than whites to have taken a mood stabilizer in the prior year. Service use, sociodemographic characteristics, and symptom expression did not explain this disparity.
Conclusions: There was substantial racial inequality in bipolar disorder treatment. Issues guiding this disparity may be unique to this disorder, and clarification of the source of disparity is needed.