Medscape (5/2, Osorio, Subscription Publication) reports, “Black patients presenting with psychiatric disorders to hospital emergency departments (EDs) across the US have significantly higher rates of chemical restraint than their white counterparts,” investigators concluded. After evaluating “76.2 million total ED visits,” the study team “found that Black patients presenting with a psychiatric disorder were significantly more likely to receive chemical sedation with antipsychotics or ketamine than white patients presenting with the same conditions.” The findings were published in the May issue of the Annals of Epidemiology. Speaking to Medscape Medical News, “Regina James, MD, the American Psychiatric Association’s chief of Diversity and Health Equity and deputy medical director, said the large-scale study confirms the widespread existence of racial and ethnic disparities in patients with psychiatric disorders.”
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