The Interface of Multiculturalism and Psychopharmacology

Abstract

The impact of culture and ethnicity on psychopharmacological drug response continues to be a topic of interest and research. Diagnostic issues among patients of different races and cultures and also the influence of race and culture of the treating clinician are factors to consider before pharmacotherapy is even prescribed, although it also appears to affect the type of pharmacotherapy prescribed as well. Culture and ethnicity may also influence the response rates to treatment with pharmacotherapy along with affecting the reporting of adverse effects, compliance with the treatment regimen, and perception of need for such treatments compared to alternative health beliefs. African Americans may be diagnosed with a more severe disorder compared to Caucasians, and African Americans may also receive comparatively different, and higher, doses for the same level of symptoms compared to white patients. Asian patients may require different doses of psychotropics compared to Caucasian patients. Some of these dosing differences may be explained by pharmacogenetic differences, whereas some may be explained by cultural perceptions of illness among the different patient populations. This interface between biology, ethnicity, and cultural issues poses a challenge for the practitioner to pay attention to the multiple factors that may influence an individual's response to pharmacotherapy.