The following is a summary of “Differences in schizophrenia treatments by race and ethnicity—analysis of electronic health records,” published in the April 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Medina et al.

Racial disparities in prescription practices for antipsychotic medications have been acknowledged previously. However, there is limited evidence concerning other medications like antidepressants and mood stabilizers, and uncertainties remain about potential factors influencing these disparities concerning mental health conditions like schizophrenia (SCZ) and Bipolar Disorder (BD). 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study exploring the odds of receiving prescriptions for various nervous system medications among individuals with SCZ from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

They used electronic health records EHRs from 224,212 adults to estimate odds ratios for receiving prescriptions of different nervous system medications among patients with SCZ of various racial and ethnic groups. Linear models were used to investigate potential differences in prescribed medication doses.

The results showed that Black/African American (AA) and Hispanic patients with SCZ were more likely to receive prescriptions for haloperidol (Black/AA: OR=1.52 (1.33-1.74), Hispanic: 1.32 (1.12-1.55)) and risperidone (Black/AA: 1.27 (1.11-1.45), Hispanic: 1.40 (1.19-1.64)), but less likely to be prescribed clozapine (Black/AA: 0.40 (0.33-0.49), Hispanic: 0.45 (0.35-0.58)) compared to white patients. No differences in medication doses based on race or ethnicity were found. Similar disparities were observed in Asian, Hispanic, and Black/AA patients with depression or BD, where they were more likely to receive antipsychotics but less likely to receive antidepressants or mood stabilizers. 

Investigators concluded that racial and ethnic disparities exist in medication prescriptions for patients with SCZ and other psychiatric conditions.

Source: nature.com/articles/s41537-024-00470-4