Misdiagnosis of African-Americans with Psychiatric Issues - Part II

Carl C Bell; Willie Mae Jackson; Briatta H Bell

doi:10.1016/S0027-9684(15)30049-3

Misdiagnosis of African-Americans with Psychiatric Issues - Part II

J Natl Med Assoc. 2015 Mar;107(3):35-41. doi: 10.1016/S0027-9684(15)30049-3. Epub 2015 Dec 2.

Authors

Carl C Bell¹, Willie Mae Jackson², Briatta H Bell

Affiliations

¹ Community Mental Health Council, Inc. (CMHC), Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago. Electronic address: bell-carl@att.net.
² Northwestern University.

PMID: 27282721
DOI: 10.1016/S0027-9684(15)30049-3

Abstract

Purpose: The second "Misdiagnosis of African-Americans with Psychiatric Issues" article focuses on traumatic life experiences that meet a proposed criteria for Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD).l

Method: Psychiatric evaluations of 330 patients were reviewed and clinically identifiable variables of: a) childhood mental retardation (MR), special education, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), or Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD); b) head injury causing Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS) or Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE); c) a history of chronic substance abuse prior to the development of psychiatric symptoms; or d) childhood trauma causing Anxiety, Depression, and Panic Disorders were tabulated.

Results: In Part I,2-Reference Part I we learn that the above four variables did not influence two-thirds of the African-American patient's psychiatric diagnoses; however, excluding patients with multiple diagnoses, 26.7% of the patient's diagnoses were shaped by these variables. Of these, 20% (18 of 88 patients), or 5.5% of the total 330 patients, had diagnoses that were strongly influenced by childhood traumatic experiences. Accordingly, we present two case histories that explicate the psychopathology seen in African-Americans traumatized as children.

Conclusions: This study helps to stress and confirm the importance of how understanding childhood traumatic experiences shape adult African-American psychopathology and the potential for misdiagnosis - an important factor for prevention and appropriate treatment of African-American patients with psychiatric issues.