Psychotropic medication profile in a community youth mental health service in Australia

Dharni, A; Coates, D

Psychotropic medication profile in a community youth mental health service in Australia

Dharni, A Coates, D

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Children and Youth Services Review, 2018, 90 pp. 8 - 14
Issue Date:: 2018-07-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Dharni, A	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Coates, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4463-7615	en_US
dc.date.available	2021-08-12T19:01:09Z
dc.date.issued	2018-07-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Children and Youth Services Review, 2018, 90 pp. 8 - 14	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0190-7409	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/128735
dc.description.abstract	© 2018 Aim: There has been a rise in the use of psychotropic medication in young people, despite limited risk-benefit profile of psychotropic medication for this population. Given their side effect profile, the use of psychotropic medications should occur with caution. This study investigated psychotropic prescribing pattern in a public youth community mental health service and gives an estimate of general level of psychotropic medication use in this setting. Methods: A retrospective file review was undertaken of all young people aged 12–17 who received care from the service in 2016 (N = 189) for a range of mental health problems, excluding psychosis. Files were reviewed for demographical information (age, gender), diagnosis/presenting issues, prescribed medications, indications of medications, and prescriber type (e.g. psychiatrist, general practitioners (GPs), paediatrician). The data was analysed descriptively. Results: Over 60% (60.8%, n = 115) of young people were prescribed psychotropic medications. Over half of the entire sample were on antidepressants (51.32%, n = 97), nearly a quarter (n = 46, 24%) on antipsychotics, 6% on ADHD medications (6.35%, n = 12), and a fifth (19.58%, n = 37) on polypharmacy. Antidepressants and antipsychotics were mostly used off-label, prescribed by public psychiatric staff. Quetiapine was the most prescribed antipsychotic predominantly for insomnia. Fluoxetine and fluvoxamine were the most prescribed antidepressants predominantly for anxiety disorders. Girls are more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications than boys, specifically antipsychotic medication. Conclusions: A high proportion of young people were prescribed psychotropic medication, including antipsychotic medication, mostly for the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. There is little evidence around how psychotropic medication is used in youth mental health settings, and this study contributes to this gap.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Children and Youth Services Review	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.05.007	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Social Work	en_US
dc.title	Psychotropic medication profile in a community youth mental health service in Australia	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	90	en_US
utslib.for	1607 Social Work	en_US
utslib.for	1402 Applied Economics	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Midwifery
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	90	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018 Aim: There has been a rise in the use of psychotropic medication in young people, despite limited risk-benefit profile of psychotropic medication for this population. Given their side effect profile, the use of psychotropic medications should occur with caution. This study investigated psychotropic prescribing pattern in a public youth community mental health service and gives an estimate of general level of psychotropic medication use in this setting. Methods: A retrospective file review was undertaken of all young people aged 12–17 who received care from the service in 2016 (N = 189) for a range of mental health problems, excluding psychosis. Files were reviewed for demographical information (age, gender), diagnosis/presenting issues, prescribed medications, indications of medications, and prescriber type (e.g. psychiatrist, general practitioners (GPs), paediatrician). The data was analysed descriptively. Results: Over 60% (60.8%, n = 115) of young people were prescribed psychotropic medications. Over half of the entire sample were on antidepressants (51.32%, n = 97), nearly a quarter (n = 46, 24%) on antipsychotics, 6% on ADHD medications (6.35%, n = 12), and a fifth (19.58%, n = 37) on polypharmacy. Antidepressants and antipsychotics were mostly used off-label, prescribed by public psychiatric staff. Quetiapine was the most prescribed antipsychotic predominantly for insomnia. Fluoxetine and fluvoxamine were the most prescribed antidepressants predominantly for anxiety disorders. Girls are more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications than boys, specifically antipsychotic medication. Conclusions: A high proportion of young people were prescribed psychotropic medication, including antipsychotic medication, mostly for the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. There is little evidence around how psychotropic medication is used in youth mental health settings, and this study contributes to this gap.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/128735