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RESEARCH WEEKLY: July Research Roundup for Minority Mental Health Month
By Elizabeth Sinclair Hancq
(July 26, 2023) Research Roundup is a monthly public service of the Office of Research and Public Affairs. Each edition describes a striking new data point about severe mental illness and summarizes recently published research reports or developments. This month’s roundup is in honor of Minority Mental Health Month.
Datapoint of the month
1.2 times more BIPOC individuals in public mental health system in Maryland
Minority races are overrepresented in the public mental health system. In Maryland, for example, 39% of individuals served by the public mental health system in 2020 were Black or African American, compared to 32% of the total state population. The overrepresentation of minorities in public mental health may be due to a variety of reasons, including income inequity and systemic discrimination.
Research of the month
Black individuals with schizophrenia less likely to receive care after COVID-19 pandemic
There are well-documented racial disparities in mortality and morbidity during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Black individuals having higher mortality rates and less access to life-saving care. Black individuals with schizophrenia received both less mental health outpatient services and critical inpatient services for a variety of different health conditions during the initial COVID-19 surge, according to new research published in “Community Mental Health Journal.”
The study authors examined Medicaid beneficiaries in New York State with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, comparing health care utilization during the initial COVID-19 pandemic surge in the spring of 2020 to prior to the pandemic beginning. There were statistically significant differences between racial groups in most indicators examined, but only a few showed differences after the COVID-19 pandemic began. For example, non-white groups, including Black and LatinX individuals, had significantly lower odds of having antipsychotic drug prescription fills compared to white individuals with schizophrenia, but that difference was consistent during both pre- and post-pandemic periods.
However, the patterns of inpatient admissions for pneumonia by racial groups with schizophrenia did change after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Both Black and LatinX people with schizophrenia had significantly lower odds of having an inpatient admission for pneumonia in the Spring of 2020, according to the results, indicating a factor contributing to the differences in mortality from COVID-19 among racial groups.
Horvitz-Lennon, M. et al. (May 2023). Healthcare access for a diverse population with schizophrenia following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Community Mental Health Journal.
Race, serious mental illness, and victimization by correction staff in jails
People with serious mental illness are more likely to experience violence at the hands of law enforcement. People of minority races are also more likely to be subject to use of force by law enforcement compared to white individuals. However, little research and attention has been paid to the violence experienced by individuals with mental illness by correction staff in carceral settings.
New research published earlier this year in the “Journal of Interpersonal Violence” indicates mental illness is a significant risk factor for experiencing violent victimization by correction staff in jails. People of minority race are also significantly more likely to experience victimization compared to white individuals; however, there were no significant racial influences on the experience of people with severe mental illness on victimization. Thus, people with mental illness are at a heightened risk for victimization in jails, regardless of race.
In addition to improved training on mental illness for correctional staff, “those incarcerated in jails must also have the necessary means to report correctional staff violence without the fear of retribution or retaliation. These are critical mechanisms of accountability that can help protect those in jail against potential abuse by the very people charged with their safety,” the authors conclude.
Semenza, D. C., et al. (February 2023). Mental illness and racial disparities in correctional staff-involved violence: An analysis of jails in the United States. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
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