Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110858

Dominic Hodgkin, PhD, Schneider Institute for Health Policy, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, MS 035, Waltham, MA 02454, Joanna Volpe-Vartanian, MS, LICSW, Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, MS 35,415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454, (617) 734-5108, vartanian@brandeis.edu, and Margarita Alegria, PhD, Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research, Cambridge Health Alliance, 120 Beacon street, 4th Floor, Somerville, MA 02143.

High rates of premature antidepressant discontinuation exist, with as many as 40% of patients discontinuing within the first six to eight weeks, and some studies have suggested that this is more common among Latinos. It is critical to understand what patient and provider characteristics predict premature discontinuation of antidepressants, and whether these predictors are different for Latinos. Certain predictors of discontinuation such as low income or uninsurance may be particularly common among Latinos. Latinos may be differently affected by lack of insurance, or be less willing to tolerate a particular adverse side-effect or to express a complaint or preference. For some patients, language limitations and/or providers' unfamiliarity with Latino culture may inhibit effective communication around medication adherence. This study uses data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), a nationally representative community survey that collected extensive sociodemographic and psychiatric epidemiological and utilization data from Latino households. Among responding Latinos who had taken an antidepressant in the prior 12 months, 34% were no longer taking any when interviewed. Those without insurance were more likely to discontinue. Other economic, cultural and demographic variables associated with discontinuation included: years in the US, social cohesion, age, gender, and marital status. Multivariate analyses are used to determine the relative importance of different predictors of discontinuation. Reasons cited for discontinuing included side effects and lack of effectiveness. These findings have implications for advancing understanding of the serious problem of premature antidepressant discontinuation among US Latinos.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of the session, the participant will understand the main possible reasons for antidepressant medication termination, and which ones may be most relevant for US Latinos.

Keywords: Latino, Depression

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.