title: Ethnic density, physical illness, social deprivation and antidepressant prescribing in primary care: ecological study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antidepressant prescribing should reflect need. The Quality and Outcomes Framework has provided an opportunity to explore factors affecting antidepressant prescribing in UK general practice.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between physical illness, social deprivation, ethnicity, practice characteristics and the volume of antidepressants prescribed in primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an ecological study using data derived from the Quality and Outcomes Framework, the Informatics Collaboratory of the Social Sciences, and Prescribing Analyses and CosT data for 2004-2005. Associations were examined using linear regression modelling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Socio-economic status, ethnic density, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and epilepsy explained 44% of the variance in the volume of antidepressants prescribed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower volumes of antidepressants are prescribed in areas with high densities of Black or Asian people. This may suggest disparities in provision of care. Chronic respiratory disease and epilepsy may have a more important association with depression in primary care than previously thought.
authors.affiliation: Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK. p.walters@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ashworth
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tylee