Antidepressant Scripts Up 16 Million Over 3-Year Period
Psychiatrists wrote 29% of new orders, followed by GPs and primary care docs, survey finds.
|
E-mail this article
Subscribe to news
Printer friendly version
|
(SOURCE: U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, news release, July 24, 2008)
THURSDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- Between 2002 and 2005, the number of prescriptions filled for antidepressant drugs increased from 154 million to 170 million, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. government.
The analysis, by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, of antidepressant prescriptions (not including refills) written after doctors talked with patients in-person or over the phone found that in 2005:
- 29 percent of prescriptions were written by psychiatrists -- medical doctors who specialize in the treatment of mental disorders.
- 23 percent came from general practitioners -- physicians who provide primary care but are specialty-trained.
- 21 percent came from family practitioners -- primary care physicians who complete a residency in family medicine.
- 10 percent came from internal medicine specialists -- physicians who complete a residency in internal medicine and who focus on the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of adults with illnesses that are difficult to diagnose or manage.
The data used in the summary are from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey of health services used by Americans.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about antidepressants.
Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
HealthDayNews articles are derived from various sources and do not reflect federal policy. healthfinder.gov does not endorse opinions, products, or services that may appear in news stories. For more information on health topics in the news, visit the healthfinder.gov health library.
|