Culturally Competent Approaches to Assessing ADHD in African American Adults and Overcoming Cultural Issues with Patients and Families

To better diagnose and treat African American patients with ADHD, clinicians should consider the mental health field from a cultural and historical perspective. This perspective can aid clinicians in assessing patients’ culturally informed resistance or ambivalence toward ADHD treatment and in adopting strategies for communicating with patients about their diagnosis and treatment. Clinicians must learn to recognize and manage their own biases as well as their patients’ biases. Using a culturally competent approach is critical to assessing ADHD in African American adults and overcoming cultural issues with patients and their families.

From the Department of Doctoral Nursing, Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.