Title: DISPARITIES IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION
1DISPARITIES IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF
DEPRESSION
2Learning Objectives
- By the end of this presentation, participants
will be able to - Identify sources and trends of disparities in
mental health care - Discuss important issues in mental health care
faced by members of cultural, ethnic, and racial
populations - Recognize gaps in, and barriers to, appropriate
patient care for these populations - Discuss current efforts that are directed at
overcoming these barriers
3Introduction
- Discrepancies in mental health care quality do
exist - General population may not receive the highest
quality of care - Racial and ethnic minorities experience greater
gaps of care - More incidents of unequal treatment in mental
health care services than in other areas of
medicine - US Surgeon Generals Report states that racial
and ethnic minorities are - More likely to have lower socioeconomic status,
which has been linked to increased incidence of
mental illness - Likely to be underserved and experience poorer
quality of mental health
US Dept of Health and Human Services. Mental
Health Culture, Race, and EthnicityA Supplement
to Mental
Health A Report of the Surgeon General.
Rockville, MD 2001.
4Sources of Disparities in Mental Health Care
US Dept of Health and Human Services. Mental
Health A Report of the Surgeon General.
Rockville, MD 1999.
5Sources of Disparities in Mental Health Care
(cont)
- Overall, these populations experience
- Less access to, and availability of, mental
health services - Lower likelihood of receiving mental health care
- Lower quality of mental health care when received
- Greater burden of disability
- These populations may experience a heightened
risk of mental disorders (eg, depression,
anxiety) as a result of racism and discrimination
US Dept of Health and Human Services. Mental
Health Culture, Race, and EthnicityA Supplement
to Mental Health A Report of the Surgeon
General. Rockville, MD 2001.
6Trends in Disparities 2005 National Healthcare
Disparities ReportQuality and Access
U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. The
National Healthcare Disparities Report.
Rockville, MD 2005.
7Sources of Disparities in MentalHealth Care
- Several distinctive factors define the
disparities in the quality of care provided - Socioeconomic factors1,2
- Access to care1,2
- Cultural issues1,2
- Prejudices among patients and health care
providers2 - Low health literacy skills3
- Chow JCC. Am J Public Health. 200393792.
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services. Mental
Health Culture, Race, and EthnicityA Supplement
to Mental Health A Report of the Surgeon
General. Rockville, MD 2001. - Burroughs VJ. National Pharmaceutical Council,
2002. http//www.npcnow.org/resources/PDFs/Cultura
lFINAL.pdf.
8Socioeconomic Status
- "An individual's or group's position within a
hierarchical social structure. Socioeconomic
status depends on a combination of variables,
including occupation, education, income, wealth,
and place of residence.1
- The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural
Literacy, Third Edition. 2005. http//dictionary.r
eference.com/browse/socioeconomic status
9Socioeconomic Status (cont)
- Displays a strong link with health status1
- Impacts residential patterns2
- People with mental illnesses tend to be
concentrated in high-poverty neighborhoods - Lower socioeconomic status is linked with3
- Impoverishment and poor living conditions
- Chronic illnesses
- Unemployment
- Depression
- Pincus T et al. Ann Intern Med. 1998129406.
- Chow JC et al. Am J Public Health. 200393792.
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services. Mental
Health Culture, Race, and Ethnicity A
Supplement to Mental Health A Report of the
Surgeon General. Rockville, MD 2001.
10Socioeconomic Status (cont)
- Ethnic and racial minority populations tend to
have lower socioeconomic status, and lower levels
of1,2 - Education
- Income and job status
- Socioeconomic resources
- Social standing in the community
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services. Mental
Health Culture, Race, and Ethnicity A
Supplement to Mental Health A Report of the
Surgeon General. Rockville, MD 2001. - Bolen JC. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Surveill Summ.
2000491
11Access to Care
Low Socioeconomic Status
- Low income1,2
- Limited/nonexistent insurance2
- Impoverished neighborhoods1
- Remote rural areas1
- Publicly run mental health centers
- Lack of resources1
- Few culturally/linguistically
- appropriate services1
Lack of access to care
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services. Mental
Health Culture, Race, and Ethnicity
A Supplement to Mental Health A Report
of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD 2001. - Schraufnagel TJ. Gen Hosp Psychiatry.
200628(1)27.
12Access to Care (cont)
- Additional factors influencing access to care
include - Transportation issues
- Lack of availability or dependency on others for
transport - Unfamiliarity with public transit systems
- Child care
- Lack of transportation to childcare services
- Lack of affordable services
- Primary guardianship with no social support,
which makes access to health care difficult - Work schedules
- Loss of pay for time taken off for health care
appointments
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14Patient Barriers to Mental Health Care
- Patients may not accept a diagnosis of depression
because of1 - Negative beliefs and attitudes about
psychological illnesses - Sociocultural norms
- Past health care experiences
- The wait and see dilemma2
- Patients may take this approach, delaying
treatment and waiting for symptoms to resolve on
their own - Can be seen with depressive disorders with less
severe symptoms
- Van Voorhees BW et al. Ann Fam Med. 2005338.
- Klinkman MS. J Clin Psychiatry. 200364(suppl
2)19.
15Patient Barriers to Mental Health Care (cont)
- Antidepressant treatment adherence1
- Varies broadly
- Premature discontinuation increases relapse risk
- Variables influencing adherence include
- Belief about the necessity of treatment
- Concerns about harms of treatment
- Poor health literacy2
- Can limit communication and cause difficulty with
prescription instructions and medical testing
information - A study of 3260 new Medicare enrollees showed
inadequate or marginal health literacy in - 33.9 of English-speaking respondents
- 53.9 of Spanish-speaking respondents
- Aikens J et al. Ann Fam Med. 2005323.
- Gazmararian JA. JAMA. 1999281545.
16Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Culture is a shared set of beliefs, norms, or
values that will influence the meaning given to
life events and experiences1 - Health and health-seeking behaviors exist along a
continuum of cultural and ethnic influences2 - Because care for all patients is culture-based,
cultural competence is an essential aspect of
health care - Please see Transcultural Issues in the Diagnosis
and Treatment of Depression for more information
- Schraufnagel TJ et al. Gen Hosp Psychiatry.
20062827. - Bolen JC et al. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Surveill
Summ. 2000491
17Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Ethnic minorities and immigrants face issues such
as - Poor communication because of lack of English
fluency1,2 - Lack of familiarity with US health care system1
- Cultural attitudes about traditional and Western
medicines3 - risk of psychological stress and mental
illness because of environmental factors such
as1 - History of political or religious persecution
- Acculturation stress
- Social isolation and rejection
- Racism and prejudice
- Jablensky A et al. J Refugee Studies. 19925172.
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services. Mental
Health Culture, Race, and EthnicityA Supplement
to Mental Health A Report of the Surgeon
General. Rockville, MD 2001. - Burroughs VJ. National Pharmaceutical Council,
2002. http//www.npcnow.org/resources/PDFs/Cultura
lFINAL.pdf.
18Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Depression screening instruments
- May not reflect the language and culture of
African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and other
racial and ethnic groups - Verbal descriptions of emotional concepts
associated with depression tend to be unique to
particular cultures
Rait G. Age Aging. 199827271
19Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Physician-patient interactions may vary because
of - Language barriers1 Different languages,
expressions, mannerisms, levels of comprehension - Differing customs and cultural/religious views2
- In some cultures, treatment decisions may be
decided by the family, not the patient3 - Physicians may encounter patients who are
reluctant to discuss a death in the family
because of fear of invoking that spirits anger4 - Stigma surrounding mental illness can manifest as
reluctance to discuss problems and seek treatment2
- Juckett G. Am Fam Physician. 200572(11)2267.
- Murray J et al. Soc Sci Med. 2006631363.
- Burroughs VJ. National Pharmaceutical Council,
2002. http//www.npcnow.org/resources/PDFs/Cultura
lFINAL.pdf. - Hughes CC. Cultures Role in Clinical Psychiatric
Assessment. In Okpaku SO (ed). Clinical Methods
in Transcultural Psychiatry. Washington, DC
American Psychiatric Press, Inc. 1998.
20Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Disease may present as culture-bound syndromes
- Variable presenting symptoms, influenced by
culture - Described in the DSM-IV-TR Glossary of
Culture-Bound Syndromes - Examples
- Shin-byung (Korean) Anxiety, somatic symptoms,
including weakness and dizziness, dissociation,
and possession by ancestral spirits - Nervios (Latino) Latina women in particular
experience this form of distress, which includes
brain aches, irritability, sleep disturbances,
trembling, and tearfulness - Bouffee delirante (West African, Haitian) A
sudden outburst of violent or agitated behavior,
with marked confusion, excitement, and possible
paranoid hallucinations
APA. DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC APA 2000879.
21Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- The DSM-IV-TRs Outline for Cultural Formulation
helps the physician address each patients ethnic
and cultural context of disease, including - Cultural identity of the individual
- Cultural explanations of the individuals illness
- Cultural factors related to psychosocial
environment and levels of functioning - Cultural elements of the relationship between the
individual and the clinician - Overall cultural assessment for diagnosis and
care
APA. DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC APA 2000879.
22Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Ethnopsychopharmacology1
- Factors affecting individuals responses to
medications can be - People from different ethnic and racial
backgrounds metabolize medications differently - Black patients may require lower doses of
tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)2 - Physicians should consider these factors and
carefully monitor patients on medications - Please see Transcultural Issues in the Diagnosis
and Treatment of Depression, for more
information on ethnopsychopharmacology
- Smith, MW. Ethnopsychopharmacology. In Lim RF
(ed). Clinical Manual of Cultural Psychiatry.
Arlington, VA AP Publishing, Inc. 2006207. - Varner RV. Psychiatr Q. 199869117.
23Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Patients who are matched to a physician with a
similar ethnic background tend to be more
satisfied1 - Survey by Crystal et al, 20032
- Patients belonging to certain subgroups were less
likely to receive any treatment if diagnosed with
depression, including those of Hispanic or
other ethnicity - Those patients who received treatment were less
likely to receive psychotherapy in addition to,
or in place of, pharmacotherapy
- Cooper-Patrick L. JAMA. 1999282(6)583.
- Crystal S. J Am Geriatr Soc. 200351(12)1718.
24Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Psychotherapy Minority individuals may not
participate because of stigma surrounding its use
- Can be seen in some African American, Asian
American, and Hispanic cultures - Discouragements to using mental health services
may also include - Lack of counselors trained in culturally
sensitive therapy models - Lack of bilingual counselors
- Lack of counselors with similar ethnic/racial
backgrounds - Lack of cultural sensitivity
Kearney LK. The Counseling Mental Health Center
2003 Research Consortium. http//www.utexas.edu/st
udent/cmhc/research/rescon.html
25Race, Culture, and Mental Health Care (cont)
- Whites have been shown to attend mental health
therapy sessions significantly more often than
African American, Asian American, and Hispanic
individuals1 - However, another study demonstrated that, among
the Asian population, East Asians used these
services more than whites, African Americans,
Latinos, Native Americans, and other Asian
populations2 - More research is needed regarding mental health
therapy use and outcomes among racial and ethnic
minorities1
- Kearney LK. The Counseling Mental Health Center
2003 Research Consortium. http//www.utexas.edu/st
udent/cmhc/research/rescon.html - Barreto RM. Psychiatric Services. 200556746.
26Barriers to Appropriate CarePatient Factors
- Mistrust
- Noted in many racial and ethnic groups because of
personal or cultural experience with foreign
governments or cultures (ie, Native Americans,
refugees)1-3 - Studies of non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic
whites found that African Americans are1,2 - Less likely to trust their physicians and/or
hospitals - More likely to report concerns of privacy and
harmful experimentation - Likely to perceive racism
- Likely to report less satisfaction with overall
care
- Boulware LE et al. Public Health Rep.
2003118358. - LaVeist TA et al. Med Care Res Rev. 200057146.
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services. The
National Healthcare Disparities Report.
Rockville, MD 2005.
27Barriers to Appropriate CareEconomic Factors
- 16.318.3 of non-elderly adults are uninsured1
- 50 of these are racial and ethnic minorities
- Ethnic minorities are more likely to be uninsured
than whites1,2 - Lower rates of job-based insurance for minorities
- Gaps between private and public health insurance
for underserved and racial/ethnic minorities - Many working poor are ineligible for Medicaid
- Increasing out-of-pocket expenses
- Cutbacks in employer-based benefits and higher
co-payments may widen the coverage gap for many
minority patients
- Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.
Who are the Uninsured? A Consistent
Profile Across National Surveys. 2006. - UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Kaiser
Family Foundation. Policy Research Report 1525.
2000.
28Barriers to Appropriate CarePhysician Factors
- Physician prejudice
- Physicians are less likely to detect mental
health problems in racial/ethnic minority
patients1 - Physicians may unjustly characterize mental
health issues as religious or culturally-sanctione
d belief systems2 - Physicians tend to offer different types and
qualities of treatment across ethnic/racial
minority groups3 - One study showed that African-American patients
were prescribed depression medication at a lower
rate than white patients, and tended to receive
older, less tolerable antidepressants3
- Borowsky SJ et al. J Gen Intern Med. 200015381.
- Chow JC et al. Am J Public Health. 200393792.
- Melfi CA et al. J Clin Psychiatry. 20006116.
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30Overcoming Barriers
- Cultural Competence
- a group of skills, attitudes, and knowledge
that allows persons, organizations, and systems
to work effectively with diverse racial, ethnic,
and social groups.1
- US Department of Health and Human
Services.Healthy People 2010 Progress
ReviewFocus Area 18 Mental Health Mental
Disorders. 2004. http//oas.samhsa.gov/MentalHealt
hHP2010/terminology.htm
31Overcoming BarriersOrganizational Cultural
Competence
- Initiatives for provider and organization
education and outcomes research may - Improve physician and organizational competence1
- Decrease standing barriers to care for
minorities,1 such as - Poor communication due to language barriers2
- Poor access to culturally competent care2
- Perceived racial/ethnic biases from providers and
organizational staff in public and private health
care sectors3 - Physician bias in diagnosis and treatment of
depression in minority patients4
- Beach MC. BMC Public Health. 20066104.
- Juckett G. Am Fam Physician. 200572(11)2267.
- LaVeist TA. Med Care Res Rev. 200057(suppl
1)146. - Whaley AL. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 199868(1)47.
32Overcoming BarriersManaged Mental Health Care
for Minorities
- Possible benefits include
- Flexibility of care options to patients
- Cost-efficient, accurate, and effective
assessment and treatment - Culturally competent, community-based treatment
- Use of traditional healers in conjunction with
traditional western mental health approaches - Increased access to office/specialist visits vs
emergency department visits - Effective physician/staff education on depressive
disorders in racial/ethnic groups - Greater overall access to treatment at regional
level (eg, regional PPOs under Medicare MC plans)
US Department of Health and Human Services. 2001.
http//mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpu
bs/SMA00-3457/intro.asp
33Overcoming BarriersPhysician Cultural Competence
- Cultural awareness and communication lessons
- A recent study evaluated hands-on clinical
encounters with refugee patients and found that
medical students had developed - Increased awareness of interpretation services
and cross-cultural communication - Increased awareness of patients cultural
backgrounds - Deepened reflection on their own culture and
cultural humility - Validation of the rationale for empathetic care
and patient empowerment
Griswold K et al. J Immigr Minor Health. 2006.
(Epub ahead of print)
34Overcoming BarriersPhysician Cultural Competence
(cont)
- Physician training curricula focusing on cultural
humility and self-assessment of biases can
increase - Cultural awareness
- Effective communication
- Sensitivity to each patients perspective and
social context - Patient involvement during the office visit
Juarez JA et al. Fam Med. 20063897.
35Overcoming BarriersPhysician Cultural Competence
(cont)
- Increased physician awareness of
ethnopsycho-pharmacology can help - Provide patients with appropriate treatment
choices, including optimal therapeutic agents and
doses - Ensure adequate response to treatment
- Prevent side effects and toxicities
- For more information on ethnopsycho-pharmacology
and efforts to improve physician competence,
please see the accompanying module, Transcultural
Issues in the Diagnosis and Treatment of
Depression
Smith MW. Ethnopsychopharmacology. In Lim, RF
(ed). Clinical Manual of Cultural Psychiatry.
Arlington, VA American Psychiatric Publishing.
2006207.
36Overcoming BarriersCLAS Standards
- Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate
Services (CLAS) - Released in 2000 from the Office of Minority
Health (OMH) - Recommended national standards for adoption
and/or adaptation by health care organizations in
order to offer culturally and linguistically
accessible health care - Consist of 14 standards
US Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2001.
http//www.omhrc.gov/assets/pdf/checked/finalrepor
t.pdf
37Overcoming BarriersCLAS Standards
- Standards 13, 813
- Guidelines recommended by OMH for adoption as
mandates by federal, state, and national
accrediting agencies - Focus Culturally compatible care, diverse
staffing, formulation of a strategic plan,
institution of competence-related measures,
community involvement, and needs assessment - Standards 47
- Federal mandates for recipients of federal
funding - Focus Language access and language resource
availability - Standard 14
- Recommendation suggested for voluntary adoption
by health care organizations - Focus Public availability of information about
progress and implementation of CLAS standards
US Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2000.
http//www.omhrc.gov/assets/pdf/checked/finalrepor
t.pdf
38State and Federal Requirements for Cultural
Competency Are Increasing
- California As of July 1, 2006,1 licensed
physicians must include cultural competency and
linguistics in CME (Assembly Bill 1195)1-3 - New Jersey Physicians must complete cultural
competency training to obtain a medical license
from the State Board of Medical Examiners
(Assembly Bill S144)2 - Washington state By July 1, 2008, educational
programs for health professionals must integrate
multicultural health instruction into their basic
education preparation curriculum4 - Other bills have been passed, or are under
consideration, in various states, including2
- University of California, Davis CME Summary and
Initiatives for Compliance. http//www.ucdmc.ucdav
is.edu/cme/resources/ucd_summary.pdf - Underserved Quality Improvement Organization
Support Center. CLAS Implementation Guide.
http//www.qsource.org/uqiosc/CLASGuide.pdf - Assembly Bill No. 1195. http//www.healthlaw.org/l
ibrary.cfm?fadownloadresourceID78947appViewfo
lderprint - Engrossed Senate Bill 6194. http//www.leg.wa.gov/
pub/billinfo/2005-06/Pdf/Bills/Session20Law20200
6/6194.SL.pdf
39Overcoming BarriersFederal Requirements
- Currently, more than 14 states have Medicaid and
Medicare contracts with cultural competency
requirements, as required by the federal
government1 - JCAHO, the national accrediting body for
hospitals, is working with the government to
develop cultural competency mandates - Helped develop the national Culturally and
Linguistically Appropriate Services standards
(CLAS)1 - As of 2006, CLAS standards have been
crosswalked with JCAHO standards for hospitals,
ambulatory, behavioral health, long term care,
and home care2
- U.C. Davis Health System. Cross cultural
competency program. http//www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/h
r/hrdepts/eod/cross_cultural_competency.html. - Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations. 2006. http//www.jointcommission.or
g/NR/rdonlyres/5EABBEC8-F5E2-4810-A16F-E2F148AB517
0/0/hlc_omh_xwalk.pdf
40Institute of Medicine 2005 ReportImproving the
Quality of Healthcare for Mental and
Substance-Use Conditions
- IOMs comprehensive strategy to reduce gaps in
care includes - A system in which patient preferences, needs, and
values prevail - Coordinated care of the patient by multiple
providers - An infrastructure that produces scientific
evidence and promotes its application to patient
care
Institute of Medicine. Improving the Quality of
Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use
Conditions Quality Chasm Series. 2005.
41Institute of Medicine 2005 ReportImproving the
Quality of Healthcare for Mental and
Substance-Use Conditions (cont)
- IOMs comprehensive strategy to reduce gaps in
care also includes - Delivery of high-quality health care, supported
by - Health care workforce education, training, and
capacity to deliver - Government programs, employers, and other group
purchasers - Research funds supporting studies with direct
clinical/policy impact and/or therapeutic
advances - Emerging information technology related to health
care benefits
Institute of Medicine. Improving the Quality of
Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use
Conditions Quality Chasm Series. 2005.
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43Decreasing DisparitiesRecognizing Gaps in Care
- New approaches are needed to identify
- Sources of disparities
- Corrective measures for disparities
- Disparities in estimates of the prevalence of
psychiatric disorders in different racial/ethnic
groups can be analyzed from models of - Sociocultural influences
- Self-selection
- Social selection
- Clinician bias
44Decreasing DisparitiesQuality Improvement Efforts
- Focusing on depression care in individuals of
lower socioeconomic standing will - Enhance overall mental health of the population
- Reduce the burden of illness on society
- Investigating quality improvement strategies that
bridge specialty and primary care may improve
rates of appropriate care for minority
populations1
- Miranda J et al. Health Serv Res. 200338613.
45Decreasing Disparities in Depression
CareImproving Treatment
- The approach to depression treatment is
heterogeneous, with widely varying adherence to
treatment guidelines1-3 - Need to further examine treatment aspects such
as - Diagnostic criteria
- Treatment consistency
- Barriers to guideline adherence
- Physician education and impact on practice
patterns
- Burman ME. J Am Acad Nurse Pract. 200517370.
- Charbonneau A. Am J Manag Care. 200410846.
- Robinson WD. J Am Board Fam Pract. 20051879.
46Decreasing Disparities in Depression
CareImproving Treatment (cont)
- More accessible guidelines specific to long-term
management of depressive disorders in primary
care are needed1 - Consistent nomenclature problems exist with
diagnostic classification that can impact
outcomes and appropriate identification of the
individual disorder2-5 - Psychotherapy6
- Lack of supportive psychotherapy in many patients
- Combination of supportive psychotherapy plus
appropriate pharmacotherapy may improve outcomes
- Klinkman MS. J Clin Psychiatry. 20036419.
- Jager M. Psychopathology. 200437110.
- Erkinjuntti T. N Engl J Med. 19973371667.
- McCabe RJ. Euro Child Adol Psych. 19965147.
- Okasha A. Br J Psychiatry. 1993162621.
- Crystal S. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003
December51(12)1718.
47Decreasing Disparities in Depression
CareConclusions
- Adequate management of depression must account
for each patients - Socioeconomic issues, including
- Cultural and ethnic backgrounds and traditions
- Access to care and follow-up visits
- Medication costs
- Social support system availability
- Ethnopsychopharmacology
- Treatment preferences
- African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Indians
with mental illness are more likely to prefer
psychotherapy, and less likely than whites to use
prescription drugs1,2
- Cooper LA. Health Serv Res. 200338613.
- Harman JS. Psychiatr Serv. 2004551379.
48Decreasing Disparities in Depression
CareConclusions (cont)
- There are unmet needs in recognizing and
diagnosing depression, especially in populations
underserved by the current health care system - Disparities in diagnosis and treatment must be
recognized in order to promote quality care - For more information on cross-cultural issues in
depression care, please refer to the accompanying
modules - Current Practices in the Diagnosis and Treatment
of Depression Best Practices in Primary Care - Transcultural Issues in the Diagnosis and
Treatment of Depression
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