Medications for Treatment of Mental Illness:Physician Prescribing Patterns and Their Implications

Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

3188.0: Monday, November 05, 2007 - 1:06 PM

Abstract #153023

Medications for Treatment of Mental Illness:Physician Prescribing Patterns and Their Implications

Katharine Levit¹, Tami L. Mark, PhD², Cheryl Kassed, PhD¹, Jeffrey A. Buck, PhD³, and Rosanna Coffey, PhD¹. (1) Thomson Medstat, 4301 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20008, 202-719-7800, Katharine.Levit@thomson.com, (2) Research & Pharmaceutical, Thomson Medstat Inc., 4301 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20008, (3) Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857

Using transaction records on prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies, we will present recent trends in prescribing by primary care provider (PCPs), psychiatric physicians, and all other specialties for groups of drugs widely recognized in the treatment of MH conditions. We find that primary care providers prescribe over half of all mental health drugs, including 6 out of every 10 prescriptions written for antidepressants and for anxiolytic, sedative hypnotics used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. Drug prescribing for antipsychotics and antimanics primarily prescribed for schizophrenia and bipolar disease continues to be dominated by psychiatrists. However, the growth of managed care and managed behavioral health organizations, availability of drugs with fewer side effects, and direct-to-consumer advertising have pushed more prescribing of MH drugs into the primary care arena, creating opportunities for increased access for consumers and potential challenges in quality of MH treatment.

Learning Objectives:

Articulate the current and past substance abuse and mental health medication prescribing patterns and drivers of past and future prescribing trends.

Keywords: Medicine, Mental Illness

Related Web page: www.medstat.com

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Medication Prescribing Patterns: Past, Present, and Future Trends

The 135th APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 3-7, 2007) of APHA