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, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,317-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, its flagship hospital in Orange, Calif., the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves nearly 5.7 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).