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Correlates and psychiatric disorders associated with psychotropic drug use in Taiwan

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Abstract

Purpose

We used the population-based National Health Insurance database to investigate correlates and psychiatric disorders associated with psychotropic drug use in Taiwan.

Methods

The National Health Research Institute provided a database of 200,000 random subjects for study. We obtained a random sample of 145,304 subjects aged 18 years or older in 2004. Study subjects who had made at least two psychotropic drug prescriptions during this year were identified. We detected factors associated with psychotropic drug use. In addition, we examined the prevalence of antipsychotic, antidepressant, mood stabilizer, sedative–hypnotic–anxiolytic (SHA) agent, and any psychotropic drug use according to psychiatric disorders.

Results

Higher prevalence of any psychotropic drug use was found in the 25–44, 45–64, and 65 or older age groups, females, aborigine, with a lower premium, with disability, and among those who lived in central region, suburban or rural area. Among those subjects with any major psychiatric disorders, the prevalence of antipsychotic, antidepressant, mood stabilizer, SHA agent, and any psychotropic drug use were 59.3, 49.7, 17.9, 78.6, and 92.0%, respectively. Among those subjects with any minor psychiatric disorders, the prevalence of antipsychotic, antidepressant, mood stabilizer, SHA agent and any psychotropic drug use were 17.5, 41.8, 4.0, 85.5, and 89.4%, respectively.

Conclusions

Thus, those subjects with any psychiatric disorders had a high percentage of any psychotropic drug use in National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. Future studies should focus on the outcome evaluation and correlates associated with individual psychotropic use.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the National Health Research Institute and Bureau of National Health Insurance for supplying the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jianan Mental Hospital, No. 80, Lane 870, Jhongshan Road, Rende Township, Tainan, Tainan County, 71742, Taiwan

    I-Chia Chien & Wen-Guang Lee

  2. Department of Public Health and Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    I-Chia Chien, Shin-Huey Bih, Yiing-Jenq Chou & Pesus Chou

  3. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bali Psychiatric Center, Taipei, Taiwan

    Shin-Huey Bih

  4. Tungs’ Taichung Metro Harbor Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

    Ching-Heng Lin

  5. Institute of Hospital and Health Care Administration, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Cheng-Hua Lee

  6. Bureau of National Health Insurance, Taipei, Taiwan

    Cheng-Hua Lee

  7. Community Medicine Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Pesus Chou

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  1. I-Chia Chien
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  2. Shin-Huey Bih
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Correspondence to I-Chia Chien.

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Chien, IC., Bih, SH., Lin, CH. et al. Correlates and psychiatric disorders associated with psychotropic drug use in Taiwan. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 46, 77–84 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0169-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0169-3

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