title: Antipsychotic use in the elderly: what doctors say they do, and what they do.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review psychiatrists' attitudes and actual practice on the use of typical and atypical antipsychotics in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Audit data were collected from 18-old-age psychiatry units across Australia. The attitudes of old age psychiatrists and their perceptions of the efficacy, tolerability and clinical usefulness of antipsychotics were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The medications used for 321 patients were audited, and the attitudes of the 57 prescribing doctors were assessed. All available atypicals were prescribed and reported as more efficacious and clinically useful than typicals. Adverse events perceived by doctors as an obstacle to prescribing were more frequent than reported adverse event rates in product information. All diagnostic groups improved. Off-label use comprised almost 22% in this sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adverse events are impediments to prescribing, more so with typical than atypical antipsychotics. All available atypicals were used and appeared effective in this elderly population.
authors: Albert Road Clinic, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. tillerj@ramsayhealth.com.au
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Tiller
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Ames
authors: Henry
authors: H
authors: Brodaty
authors: Gerard
authors: G
authors: Byrne
authors: Sudarshan
authors: S
authors: Chawla
authors: Graeme
authors: G
authors: Halliday
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Snowdon
authors: Graham
authors: G
authors: Hepworth
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: McArdle
authors: Isaac
authors: I
authors: Schweitzer
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D017723:Drug Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020714:Maximum Tolerated Dose; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents