This story looks at work by James Jackson that confronts an observed paradox: African Americans tend to have worse health outcomes than whites, but lower rates of depression. Jackson et al found that the black-white gap in diagnosed depression in the US – 18% for whites, 10% for blacks – may be related to whites seeking diagnosis versus blacks self medicating with smoking, drinking or drugs. “It’s a perverse tradeoff,” Jackson says. “Blacks and other groups in society may ‘buy’ their reduced rates of psychiatric disorders with higher rates of physical morbidities and early mortality.”

More about Jackson on stress, coping behaviors, and health among African Americans >