Diagnostic Equity in Depression

Diagnostic Equity in Depression is a collaborative effort between Dr. Shabab Wahid, Dr. Daniel Kim, and Dr. Emily Mendenhall at Georgetown University, and Dr. Derek M. Griffith at the University of Pennsylvania. Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in partnership with AcademyHealth, this research initiative seeks to address health services research focused on diagnostic equity. The aim of this study is to enhance our understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of Black men in need of mental health services, given their unique and troubling history of anti-Black gendered structural racism, medical experimentation, misdiagnosis, and mistreatment within the healthcare system. While Black men report lower rates of depression and anxiety compared to White men and Black women, they experience significant morbidity and mortality from stress-related illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19. This, along with the ongoing issues of misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis, highlights the need for improved diagnostic equity. This project will: (1) explore how Black men perceive, experience, and articulate their distress; (2) identify the structural and systemic factors, as well as social influences contributing to distress in Black men; (3) examine the social, psychological, and emotional coping strategies employed by Black men in response to distress; and (4) assess how well measures of depression capture the dimensions of distress relevant to Black men across different age groups, including young adults, middle-aged individuals, and older adults. 

Learn more about the grant here

tags: Derek Griffith | Shabab Wahid | Daniel Kim | Emily Mendenhall