Borderline Personality Disorder

Misdiagnoses More Common for Socially Disadvantaged Groups

Conversely, if the client is African American, the same symptoms might be seen as proof of the client’s persistent borderline personality disorder.

Misdiagnoses More Common for Socially Disadvantaged Groups
Mar 25, 2015
Rachel Lutz

Socially disadvantaged groups are twice as likely to receive mental health misdiagnoses, according to research published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Researchers from the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel focused on mental health clinics serving low to middle class populations, and specifically patients who were Jews of Asian/African descent (Mizrahi) and Jews of European/American descent (Ashkenazi) in 3 cities in Israel. The researchers investigated the accuracy of diagnostic decisions, which they believed were likely to substantially impact the patient’s prognosis, in order to determine what contributed to mental health disparities.

“A white therapist can interpret affect disregulation symptoms of a client who is also white as rooted in financial pressures and diagnose him/her as having transient adjustment disorder,” Ora Nakash, PhD, explained in a press release. “Conversely, if the client is African American, the same symptoms might be seen as proof of the client’s persistent borderline personality disorder.”

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