�A unexampled study published in the August issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry concludes that the lineament of major tranquilliser prescribing is no worse for blackened patients than for white patients.
In the yesteryear, there accept been suggestions of institutional racism in UK mental health services. Several studies, mainly American, indicate that black patients are more likely that white patients to receive high doses of antipsychotics and terminus formulations (medicinal drug designed for gradual tone ending in a patient's body over a period of weeks or months, so removing the need for a casual dose), and less likely to be treated with atypical (or newer) antipsychotics.
In this study, researchers surveyed the prescribing of antipsychotics for 255 in-patients in three south London mental health trusts. 152 of the patients were white, and 103 were black. Mixed-race patients were excluded.
The study showed that prescribing quality was similar for black and white patients. The median dose of antipsychotic (percentage of licensed dose) was 58.3% for white patients and 50.0% for pitch-dark patients. High dose antipsychotics were positive to 15.1% of white and 11.7% of black patients. Antipsychotic polypharmacy (the taking of many major tranquilliser drugs at the same time) was recorded for 25.7% of stanford White patients and 31.1% of mordant patients.
The researchers thus concluded that ethnicity was not importantly associated with dose of antipsychotic, the prescribing of high-dose antipsychotics or the use of atypical antipsychotics.
These findings are in contrast to studies which suggest a higher likeliness of higher-dose prescribing in black patients and a lower use of atypical drugs.
Reference:
Ethnicity and quality of antipsychotic prescribing among in-patients in south London
Connolly A and Taylor D (2008)
British Journal of Psychiatry, 193: 161-162
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