The US Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) study investigated 1-year treatment outcomes amongst African–American, Hispanic, and white individuals.1 It was suggested that during clinical assessment of some African–Americans, some reported symptoms may have been misattributed to psychopathology rather than to the patient’s sociocultural background.1 Misattribution of symptoms may result in suboptimal treatment.1 The availability of culturally-adapted treatment regimens across populations with different sociocultural backgrounds may improve treatment of patients with bipolar disorder.1
References:
1. Akinhanmi MO, Biernacka JM, Strakowski SM, et al. Racial disparities in bipolar disorder treatment and research: a call to action. Bipolar Disord 2018; 20 (6): 506–514.
2. Minsky S, Vega W, Miskimen T, et al. Diagnostic patterns in Latino, African American, and European American psychiatric patients. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2003; 60 (6): 637–644.