title: International study on antidepressant prescription pattern at 20 teaching hospitals and major psychiatric institutions in East Asia: Analysis of 1898 cases from China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to review the prescription patterns of antidepressants in different countries in East Asia. The survey was conducted in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan from October 2003 to March 2004 using the unified research protocol and questionnaire. Twenty teaching hospitals and major psychiatric hospitals participated and a total of 1898 patients receiving antidepressants were analyzed. The survey provided a number of interesting characteristics on the prescription patterns of antidepressant in East Asia. Out of 56 antidepressants listed in the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification (ATC) index by the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Drug Statistics Methodology (Oslo), only 26 antidepressants were prescribed in participating countries in East Asia. On average 38.4% of prescriptions of antidepressants were for patients with diagnoses other than depressive disorders. The availability and commonly prescribed antidepressants varied greatly by country. The selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI) and other newer antidepressants were prescribed in approximately 77.0% of all cases. At the time of the survey, only two SSRI medications were available in Japan. However, five types of SSRI were available and were often prescribed in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Fukuoka University College of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan. naoki.uchida.fukuoka@jcom.home.ne.jp
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Mian-Yoon
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Chay Hoon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Min-Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Senta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Shu-Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tainmei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Si
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: He Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Ryoji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Yoshichika
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.forename: Glen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sartorius
authors.forename: Naotaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinfuku
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002681:China; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012846:Singapore; D013624:Taiwan; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors