Premium
International prescribing practices in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD)
Author(s) -
Brakoulias Vlasios,
Starcevic Vladan,
Belloch Amparo,
Dell'Osso Liliana,
Ferrão Ygor A.,
Fontenelle Leonardo F.,
Lochner Christine,
Marazziti Donatella,
Martin Andrew,
Matsunaga Hisato,
Miguel Euripedes C.,
Reddy Y C Janardhan,
Rosário Maria C.,
Shavitt Roseli G.,
Sundar Arumugham Shyam,
Stein Dan Joseph,
Viswasam Kirupamani
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.2541
Subject(s) - psychiatry , medicine , obsessive compulsive , pharmacotherapy , incidence (geometry) , demography , sociology , physics , optics
Objectives To assess rates of psychotropic medication use in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in seven different countries on five continents and to compare these with international treatment guidelines. Methods Researchers in the field of OCD were invited to contribute summary statistics on the characteristics of their patients with OCD and on their incidence of psychotropic use. Consistency of summary statistics across countries was evaluated. Results The data came from Brazil ( n = 955), Italy ( n = 750), South Africa ( n = 555), Japan ( n = 382), Australia ( n = 213), India ( n = 202) and Spain ( n = 82). The majority (77.9%; n = 2445) of the total sample of 3139 participants received a psychotropic medication. Consistent with international guidelines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were most commonly used (73.5%, n = 1796), but their use ranged from 59% in Australia to 96% in Japan. Clomipramine use varied from 5% in Japan and South Africa to 26% in India and Italy. Atypical antipsychotic use ranged from 12% in South Africa to 50% in Japan. Conclusions Pharmacotherapy for OCD varied significantly across sites. Prospective studies are required to determine the cultural, pharmacoeconomic and pharmacogenomic factors that may play a role in the variation in prescribing practices internationally and whether these variations influence treatment outcomes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.