Use of psychotropic medications before and after Sept. 11, 2001.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined patterns of psychotropic medication use after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.


METHODS
It drew from two large pharmacy data sets, one providing nationally representative aggregate projections for all U.S. prescriptions (156.9 million claims for psychotropic medications during the study period) and a second from the nation's largest pharmacy benefit management organization (36.4 million enrollees per month), 4.1% of whom had a prescription for a psychotropic medication during the study period. Analyses examined use of antidepressant, antipsychotic, anxiolytic, and hypnotic medications in the 12 weeks before and after Sept. 11, 2001, compared with the same weeks during 2000.


RESULTS
Nationally and in Washington, D.C., there was no evidence of an increase in overall prescriptions, new prescriptions, or daily doses for psychotropic medications. In New York City, there was an increase in the proportion of existing users with psychotropic dose increases in the weeks after the attacks (16.9% in 2001 versus 13.6% in 2000) but no significant increase in the rate of new psychotropic prescriptions.


CONCLUSIONS
For most of the nation, the distress associated with the terrorist attacks was not accompanied by a commensurate increase in the use of psychotropic medications. In New York City, there was a statistically significant but modest increase in the proportion of individuals with dose increases in their psychotropic medications.
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, USA. bdruss@emory.edu
Benjamin G
BG
Druss
Steven C
SC
Marcus
D004219:District of Columbia; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008016:Life Change Events; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D009519:New York City; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010507:Periodicity; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs