Cross-sectional survey of patients in receipt of long-term repeat prescriptions for antidepressant drugs in primary care

Cruickshank, G.; MacGillivray, S.; Bruce, D.; Mather, A.; Matthews, K.; Williams, B.

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey describes the clinical characteristics of 92 patients from across 12 general medical practices, in receipt of a long-term repeat prescription of an antidepressant for the treatment of depression. Psychiatric diagnoses were determined using the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry. Fifty-three participants (57.6%) failed to meet criteria for any psychiatric diagnosis (95% confidence interval (CI): 47.5–67.7%). Independent clinical assessments based upon diagnoses and other clinical data indicated that 26 (31.0%) participants (95% CI: 28.9–49.7%) had no clear clinical reason for continued receipt of an antidepressant. Reasons for the continued use of antidepressants in this population require further investigation.

Citation

Cruickshank, G., MacGillivray, S., Bruce, D., Mather, A., Matthews, K., & Williams, B. (2008). Cross-sectional survey of patients in receipt of long-term repeat prescriptions for antidepressant drugs in primary care. Mental Health in Family Medicine, 5(2), 105-109

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 9, 2008
• Publication Date: 2008
• Deposit Date: Mar 15, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 16, 2018
• Journal: Mental Health in Family Medicine
• Print ISSN: 1756-834X
• Electronic ISSN: 1756-8358
• Publisher: Radcliffe Medical Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 105-109
• Keywords: antidepressant drug prescribing, depression, primary care, structured assessment
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/837913
• Contract Date: Mar 15, 2018