The clinical picture of mania in manic-depressive black patients.

Recent studies have shown that misdiagnosis of manic-depressive illness among blacks is a frequent occurrence. There are a number of historical and institutional dynamics involved in this process that have the roots of racism as their foundation. In light of this the authors decided to look at the clinical symptoms and behaviors of manic-depressive illness among black patients to see if their interpretation might be another contributing factor in misdiagnosis.The authors found the clinical symptoms of manic-depressive illness in black patients to be essentially what one would expect as determined by criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM III). However, there were cultural and socioeconomic determinants of behavior that affected the clinical manifestations.