Effect of Age on the Profile of Psychotropic Users: Results from the 2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Issue 2 (13th January 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Maust, Donovan T.; Oslin, David W.; Marcus, Steven C.
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Volume 62:Issue 2(2014:Feb.)
• Page Start: 358
• Page End: 364
• Publication Date: 2014-01-13
• Subjects: Geriatrics -- Periodicals; 618.97
• DOI: 10.1111/jgs.12640
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-8614

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jgs12640-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="jgs12640-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Objectives</title> <p>To describe the effect of age on psychotropic coprescribing, psychiatric diagnoses, and other clinical characteristics.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12640-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Design</title> <p>Analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12640-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Setting</title> <p>A national sample of outpatient visits to physicians (N = 2, 406) in office‐based practice in 2010.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12640-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Participants</title> <p>Adults prescribed psychotropic medication (N = 31, 229).</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12640-sec-0005" sec-type="section"> <title>Measurements</title> <p>Office visits at which antidepressant, anxiolytic, sedative, hypnotic, antipsychotic, or mood stabilizer medications were prescribed were grouped according to participant age (21–64, ≥65) and then compared within each medication class on visit characteristics. and then compared according to variables including provider type, sex, and race; presence of diagnosed mental illness; prescription of other psychotropic agents; total number of chronic conditions; time spent with physician; and total number of medications.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12640-sec-0006" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>In 2010, there were 90.3 million antidepressant office visits; 77.7 million anxiolytic/sedative/hypnotic visits; 15.5 million antipsychotic visits; and 9.5 million mood stabilizer visits. Nonpsychiatrists prescribed the majority of psychotropic medications for every class and age group; 17.3% of older adult antipsychotic visits and 44.9% of younger adult antipsychotic visits were to a psychiatrist (chi‐square = 19.58, <italic>P</italic> = .001). Older adults in every medication class were less likely to have a diagnosed mental disorder.</p> </sec> <sec id="jgs12640-sec-0007" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Older adults prescribed psychotropic medication were less likely to have a diagnosed mental disorder than their younger counterparts. Efforts to promote quality prescribing should seek to minimize nonspecific use of psychotropic medication.</p> </sec> </abstract>