Prescribing Trends in Psychotropic Medications

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Abstract
PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS are among the most widely prescribed medications in the United States. As a class, they represented 8.8% of the prescription drug market in 1994,1 and their use has been increasing in recent years. A number of studies have documented differences over time and among physician groups in the use of psychotropic medications.2,3 In 1993, Olfson and Klerman4 reported a number of changes in the prescription patterns of psychotropic medications among office-based physicians. Their analyses revealed that between 1980 and 1989 the total number of office visits that included the prescription of a psychotropic drug remained relatively stable. They noted a decrease in the proportion of these visits to primary care physicians and an increase in the proportion of these visits to psychiatrists. However, recent years have seen enormous changes in the health care system and in the availability and applications of new and older psychotropic drugs.