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General Practice Patients on Long-Term Psychotropic Drugs

A Controlled Investigation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

J. Catalan ,
D. H. Gath ,
A. Bond ,
G. Edmonds ,
P. Martin  and
J. Ennis
J. Catalan*
Affiliation:
Oxford University Department of Psychiatry
D. H. Gath
Affiliation:
Oxford University Department of Psychiatry
A. Bond
Affiliation:
Oxford University Department of Psychiatry
G. Edmonds
Affiliation:
Oxford University Department of Psychiatry
P. Martin
Affiliation:
Oxford University Department of Psychiatry
J. Ennis
Affiliation:
Oxford Regional Health Authority
*
∗Elms Clinic, Oxford Road, Banbury, Oxon OX16 9AL
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Abstract

In a health centre, 3.6% of the registered patients were found to have received at least one prescription for psychotropic drugs in each quarter of a year. These patients were mainly elderly and female. Psychiatric interviews were held with randomly selected index patients, and with matched controls. Most index patients reported taking psychotropic drugs for several years, mainly anxiolytics, antidepressants and non-barbiturate hypnotics, and mainly in low dosage. Index patients had much higher levels of psychiatric morbidity, as shown by the Present State Examination, history of specialist psychiatric treatment, and previous drug overdoses. In index patients the main diagnoses were neurotic depression and phobic disorder. Index patients reported more problems with finances and with social isolation.

Type
Annotation
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 152 , Issue 3 , March 1988 , pp. 399 - 405
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1988 

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