Antidepressant prescribing: a comparison between general practitioners and psychiatrists.
BACKGROUND
The 'defeat depression' campaign emphasizes the importance of adequate prescribing of antidepressants in general practice.


OBJECTIVE
A study was undertaken to investigate the prescribing habits of a group of general practitioners and psychiatrists.


METHODS
A postal questionnaire was sent to 123 general practitioners and 97 psychiatrists in south Wales.


RESULTS
The response rate among general practitioners was 60% and among psychiatrists it was 67%. As a group, the psychiatrists reported using significantly higher daily dosages of antidepressant medication for adult and for elderly patients over a longer period compared with general practitioners. Fifty two per cent of 68 general practitioners and 17% of 60 psychiatrists reported using lower than recommended daily treatment dosages for adult patients and 40% of 68 general practitioners and 7% of 62 psychiatrists used a shorter than recommended period of continuation therapy (less than four months). Both groups showed a wide variation in the use of maintenance therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Educational efforts should be made to improve the prescribing habits of general practitioners and psychiatrists.
Kerr
M P
MP
Department of Psychological Medicihe, Ely Hospital, Cardiff.
D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014852:Wales
D000928:Antidepressive Agents