Benzodiazepine Overdose in a Non-English-Speaking Patient: Case Report on Cultural Competency and Asian Pharmacy Practices
Jun Lina b c, Justin Chinb c, Zhou Lin Yud e, Bina Kviatkovskyc f g, Christine M Lomiguenh i
- aDepartment of Pathology , Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine , Erie , PA , USA
- bDepartment of Primary Care , Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine , New York , NY , USA
- cDepartment of Primary Care, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- dInternational Journal of Psychiatry Research
- eOMS-IV, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, 230 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027, Te
- fDepartment of Internal Medicine , Staten Island University Hospital , New York , NY , USA
- gDepartment of Internal Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital, New York, NY, USA
- hOMS-IV , Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine , 230 West 125th Street , New York , NY 10027 , Te
- iDepartment of Pathology, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, USA
Papers open inside SciRah from the original publisher or repository; SciRah never hosts them.
Abstract
Physician training in cultural sensitivity is important for effective history taking, particularly in psychiatry. Added difficulty exists when working with non-English-speaking patients, in which culture plays a prominent role in the underdiagnosis of psychiatric illnesses, especially in Asian and Pacific Islander geriatric populations. An 81-year-old, non-English-speaking female with no psychiatric history was brought to the emergency department by her son after he discovered she ingested 8-10 tablets of alprazolam of unknown dosage in a 10-hour period. Upon questioning, the patient admitted she obtained the medication from China without a prescription to self-treat her anxiety and difficulty sleeping. This case study brings awareness to the accessibility and ease of acquiring medications in countries with inconsistently enforced drug regulatory policies, enumerates factors which influence self-medication, and illustrates potential danger of stigmatization and negative cultural perceptions toward psychiatric healthcare. Recognition of this scenario is critical to appropriately address psychiatric needs of nonEnglish-speaking patients. ISSN 2641-4317 Case Report Citation: Jun Lin, Justin Chin, Zhou Lin Yu, et al. Benzodiazepine Overdose in a Non-English-Speaking Patient: Case Report on Cultural Competency and Asian Pharmacy Practices. Int J Psychiatr Res. 2019; 2(5): 1-3.
TL;DRThis case study brings awareness to the accessibility and ease of acquiring medications in countries with inconsistently enforced drug regulatory policies, enumerates factors which influence self-medication, and illustrates potential danger of stigmatization and negative cultural perceptions toward psychiatric healthcare. (Semantic Scholar)