Study: Black patients more likely to receive chemical restraint in psychiatric hospital settings
Biases can also cause a delay in care, says UCI Health expert
IN THE NEWS: A new study found that Black patients experienced a higher rate of chemical restraints in psychiatric hospital settings, compared to Hispanic and white patients.
According to Dr. Katy F. Lunny, a psychiatrist with UCI Health Psychiatry Services, Black patients experience greater disparities in psychiatric treatment.
She spoke with MedPage Today about how clinician’s biases, especially when it comes to women’s care, can lead to delayed treatment.
"Black patients get more injectable medications, they are more likely to be labeled with terms like schizophrenia or agitation compared to their white counterparts, and they appear to have poorer neurological outcomes."
She also discussed the challenges for physicians to understand their own biases.
"Though many institutions provide education and training to help bring awareness to and address implicit bias, longer-lasting interventions are needed."
Lunny is a consultation-liaison psychiatrist specializing in perinatal and reproductive psychiatry. She is an assistant clinical professor at the UC Irvine School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior.
About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.