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Disparities in Psychotropic Polypharmacy Highlighted in North Carolina Study

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Kathleen Thomas portrait

Sheps Center Senior Research Fellow, Kathleen C. Thomas, PhD, has raised concerns about disparities in psychotropic polypharmacy among children with psychiatric conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and complex medical needs in North Carolina. Her study, published in Psychiatric Services, links the use of multiple psychotropic drugs to neighborhood context, race, and ethnicity, highlighting structural disparities and systemic racism in healthcare.

Despite clinical conditions, the Child Opportunity Index, race, and ethnicity were found to significantly influence treatment patterns. The study was motivated by the observation that families from low-resource areas often travel long distances to access care, sometimes at crisis points. Thomas calls for better access to nonmedical supports, such as in-home therapy, and emphasizes the need for collaborative research to address these disparities.

Read more about this paper.