Abstract
Background Natural disasters provoke an increase in mental and medical disorders in survivors. Monitoring drug prescription changes after natural disasters can provide an indirect evaluation of trauma impact in the population. Moreover, it could be useful to both identify risk categories that require special assistance and assess possible drug abuse or misuse. Objective To assess the effects of earthquake that occurred on April 6, 2009 on the use of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs in the province of L’Aquila. Setting General population of L’Aquila and Caserta provinces from Southern Italy. Method In a retrospective, drug utilization study we identified all the persons who received at least one dispensing of antidepressant and/or antipsychotic drugs during the period April 1st, 2008–March 31st, 2010. Main outcome measure The monthly prevalence of use of these drugs, 1 year prior and after the date of earthquake in L’Aquila was compared between the two provinces, L’Aquila and Caserta. All the analyses were stratified by age groups, gender and drug classes. Results We observed an increase in the use of antipsychotic drugs and, to lesser extent, of antidepressant agents (mostly typicals and tryciclics, respectively) in the first 2 months after the earthquake in L’Aquila but not in Caserta. This increase was almost two-fold higher in women older than 75 years. After the first 2 months from the earthquake, the use of antidepressants and antipsychotics was stabilized at the pre-earthquake levels in L’Aquila. Conclusion The earthquake determined a short-term increase in the use of antipsychotics (mostly haloperidol and promazine) and, to lesser extent, of antidepressants (i.e. tryciclics), especially in older women of L’Aquila.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Galea S, Nandi A, Vlahov D. The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;27:78–91.
Van Kamp I, Van Der Velden PG, Stellato RK, et al. Physical and mental health shortly after a disaster: first results from the Enschede firework disaster study. Eur J Public Health. 2005;16:252–8.
Chen CC, Yeh TL, Yang YK, et al. Psychiatric morbidity and post-traumatic symptoms among survivors in the early stage following the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan. Psychiatry Res. 2001;105:13–22.
Salcioglu E, Basoglu M, Livanou M. Post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid depression among survivors of the 1999 earthquake in Turkey. Disasters. 2007;31:115–29.
Dell’osso L, Carmassi C, Massimetti G, Daneluzzo E, Di Tommaso S, Rossi A. Full and partial PTSD among young adult survivors 10 months after the L’Aquila 2009 earthquake: gender differences. J Affect Disord. 2011;131:79–83.
Dell’osso C, Carmassi G, Massimetti C, et al. Impact of traumatic loss on post-traumatic spectrum symptoms in high school students after the L’Aquila 2009 earthquake in Italy. J Affect Disord. 2011;134:59–64.
Conrad EJ, Lavigne KM. Psychiatry consultation during disaster preparedness: Hurricane Gustav. South Med J. 2013;106:99–101.
Pollice R, Bianchini V, di Mauro S, et al. Cognitive function and clinical symptoms in first-episode psychosis and chronic schizophrenia before and after the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. Early Interv Psychiatry. 2012;6:153–8.
Horan WP, Ventura J, Mintz J, et al. Stress and coping responses to a natural disaster in people with schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res. 2000;151:77–86.
Tseng KC, Hemenway D, Kawachi I, Subramanian SV, Chen WJ. The impact of the Chi–Chi earthquake on the incidence of hospitalizations for schizophrenia and on concomitant hospital choice. Community Ment Health J. 2010;46:93–101.
Sofia S, Melone A, Manzoli L, et al. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events pre- and post-earthquake of 6 April 2009: the Abruzzo’s experience. Am J Hypertens. 2012;25:556–60.
Ogawa S, Ishiki M, Nako K et al. Effects of the great East Japan earthquake and huge tsunami on glycaemic control and blood pressure in patients with diabetes mellitus. BMJ. 2012; doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-000830.
Boscarino JA, Galea S, Ahern J, Resnick H, Vlahov D. Psychiatric medication use among manhattan residents following the world trade center disaster. J Trauma Stress. 2003;16:301–306.
Di Maggio C, Galea S, Madrid PA. Population psychiatric medication prescription rates following a terrorist attack. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2007;22:479–84.
Hennessy S. Use of health care databases in pharmacoepidemiology. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2006;98:311–3.
Usher K, Brown LH, Buettner P, et al. Rate of prescription of antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs after cyclone Yasi in north Queensland. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27:519–23.
Bellis T, Van Den Berg PG, Grievink L, Yzermans J, Lebret E. Medically unexplained physical symptoms in the aftermath of disasters. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;7:92–106.
Brewin CR, Andrews B, Valentine JD. Meta-analysis of risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma exposed adults. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000;68:746–66.
Burkle FM. Acute-phase mental health consequences of disasters: implications for triage and emergency medical services. Ann Emerg Med. 1996;28:119–28.
Dirkzwager AJ, Van Der Velden PG, Grievink L, Yzermans CJ. Disaster-related posttraumatic stress disorder and physical health. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:435–40.
Leon GR. Overview of the psychosocial impact of disasters. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2004;19:4–9.
Rossi A, Stratta P, Allegrini F. Changes in prescription of psychotropics after an earthquake in Italy. Psychiatr Serv. 2010;61:845–6.
Rossi A, Maggio R, Riccardi I, Allegrini F, Stratta P. A quantitative analysis of antidepressant and antipsychotic prescriptions following an earthquake in Italy. J Trauma Stress. 2011;24:129–32.
Gruppo di lavoro OsMed. L’uso dei farmaci in Italia, Rapporto Nazionale anno 2008. Roma: Il pensiero scientifico editore; 2009.
Gruppo di lavoro OsMed. L’uso dei farmaci in Italia, Rapporto Nazionale anno 2009. Roma: Il pensiero scientifico editore; 2010.
Dirkzwager AJ, Grievink L, Van Der Velden PG, Yzermans CJ. Risk factors for psychological and physical health problems after a man-made disaster prospective study. Br J Psychiatry. 2006;189:144–9.
Rothschild B. The body remembers: the psychophysiology of trauma and trauma treatment. New York: W.W. Norton & Company; 2000.
Katz CL, Pellegrino L, Pandya A, Ng A, Delisi LE. Research on psychiatric outcomes and interventions subsequent to disasters: a review of the literature. Psychiatry Res. 2002;110:201–17.
Wang CC, Farley JF. Patterns and predictors of antipsychotic medication use among the U.S. population: findings from the medical expenditure panel survey. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2009;doi:10.1016/j.sapharm.2009.07.001.
Acknowledgments
We thank Prof. Peri Ballantyne, from Trent University, and affiliated with University of Toronto in Canada for editing the manuscript.
Funding
No funding has been received for this study.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Consortia
Corresponding author
Additional information
Caserta group
Michele Tari and Claudio Linguiti, Local Health Unit of Caserta, Caserta, Italy
L’Aquila group
Paolo Stratta, Fabio Allegrini, Local Health Unit of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Trifirò, G., Italiano, D., Alibrandi, A. et al. Effects of L’Aquila earthquake on the prescribing pattern of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs. Int J Clin Pharm 35, 1053–1062 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-013-9822-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-013-9822-8