[The consumption of psychoactive drugs in primary care].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of the consumption of psychiatric drugs (PD) among people attending the clinic and to relate that consumption to their sociodemographic characteristics and the presence of psychiatric symptoms.


METHODS
Crossover descriptive study.


METHODS
Primary Care.


METHODS
350 patients over 14, chosen at random from among those who attended the clinic over an eight-week period.


METHODS
1) Questionnaire on sociodemographic data and PD consumption; 2) Self-filling of the GHQ-60 (cut-off point 10/11); and 3) Review of the clinical records to determine the kind of PD, dosage, prescriber, chronic illnesses and the number of consultations over the previous year.


RESULTS
301 (86%) completed the study, 21% consumed PDs. 82% were women. The most consumed PDs were: benzodiazepine (74%) and anti-depressives (34%).


CONCLUSIONS
There is a high percentage of PD consumers among people who attend the clinic, especially among women, elderly people, the chronically ill, people living alone and those inactive outside the home. The most commonly used pharmacological group was the benzodiazepines. Almost half the patients had psychiatric symptoms, especially those who lived alone and had no activity outside the home.
Mateo Fernández
R
R
Areas X y XI, INSALUD, Madrid.
Rupérez Cordero
O
O
Hernando Blázquez
M A
MA
Delgado Nicolás
M A
MA
Sánchez González
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs