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Antipsychotic drug prescription in general practice in Italy
Author(s) -
Raschetti R.,
Alegiani S. Spila,
Diana G.,
Cas R.,
Traversa G.,
Pasquini P.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1993.tb03379.x
Subject(s) - medical prescription , antipsychotic drug , antipsychotic , drug , psychiatry , medicine , psychology , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , pharmacology
Prescribing patterns of neuroleptic drugs in a population of about 3,700,000 inhabitants were analysed using all individual prescriptions delivered by the Italian National Health Service during 4 years (1986–1989). Data contained in a regional prescription database were analysed using an outpatient drug monitoring system (VIDEOFAR). The proportion of subjects receiving neuroleptics was about 1.3% of the entire population. During 1989, 20.2% of 52,716 observed subjects received multiple neuroleptic therapy. Haloperidol, the most frequently prescribed antipsychotic, was dispensed to 21.3% of the individuals as the only neuroleptic treatment. Consumption sharply increased with age and about 60% of patients receiving a prescription were women. Nonetheless, among the heavy users in the younger ages, the male‐to‐female ratio is significantly greater than one. Although the principal indications for neuroleptics are subacute or chronic clinical conditions, a surprisingly high proportion of subjects (ranging from 48% to 76% depending on the type of neuroleptic) received only one single prescription during 1989.