Prescribing for moderate or severe unipolar depression in patients under the long-term care of UK adult mental health services (original) (raw)

2020, Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology

Background: A quality improvement programme addressing prescribing practice for depression was initiated by the Prescribing Observatory for Mental Health. Methods: A baseline clinical audit against evidence-based practice standards was conducted in UK adult mental health services. Results: A total of 55 mental health services submitted data for 2082 patients, under the care of a community psychiatric team (CMHT) for at least a year, with a diagnosis of moderate or severe unipolar depression, 54% of whom had a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were prescribed for 35% of the patients, other newer generation antidepressants for 60%, tricyclic antidepressants for 6% and monoamine oxidase inhibitors for <1%. The most commonly prescribed individual antidepressants were mirtazapine (33%, usually in combination with another antidepressant), venlafaxine (25%) and sertraline (21%). Patients with severe depression were more likely (p < 0.001) to be c...