As the fight for health equity continues, disparities in ADHD diagnosis and treatment are beginning to enter the national spotlight. This study, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, reviewed the literature on the topic to date.
The researchers systematically gathered past studies on children with ADHD that included racial and ethnic information. Then, they analyzed the proportion of these studies that showed significant disparities in ADHD diagnosis or treatment. A total of 41 studies were included in the review.
Ultimately, it was found that most of the studies identified disparities between African American and Caucasian children in ADHD diagnosis and ADHD treatment with medication. Although the diagnostic disparity seems to have decreased over time, the disparity in treatment has not improved [1].
Source:
[1] Glasofer, A., & Dingley, C. (2021). Diagnostic and medication treatment disparities in African American children with ADHD: a literature review. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01142-0
