title: Outpatient treatment of children and adolescents with antidepressants in Croatia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study is aimed to determine the prevalence and patterns of antidepressants prescription in outpatient setting in Croatia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of outpatient visits to child psychiatrists by persons aged 18 and younger that included prescription of antidepressants during the year 2010. Antidepressant prescription data were identified by medication class, drug entity and were analyzed in relation to age group, gender, psychiatric diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antidepressants were prescribed to 139 youths (0.24‰), significantly more to adolescents than pre-adolescents and for the treatment of depressive disorders in females, and mixed disorders of emotions and conduct in males. Sertraline was the most prescribed antidepressant for the treatment of major depressive disorder, followed by fluvoxamine and tianeptine. Fluvoxamine was the most prescribed antidepressant for the treatment of anxiety disorders and mixed disorders of emotions and conduct. Off-label prescribing of antidepressants was found in 85.6% of young patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found considerably lower prevalence and higher off-label rate of antidepressant prescriptions to young people in Croatia to that in other European Countries and in the United States. Selective serotonine reuptake inhibitors comprise most of the antidepressant medications prescribed to young people, reflecting trends in the developed countries.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Hospital for Children and Youth, Zagreb, Croatia. vlatka.boricevic@zg.t-com.hr
authors.forename: Vlatka Boričević
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Maršanić
authors.forename: Branka Aukst
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Margetić
authors.forename: Branimir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Margetić
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000639:trends*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D056687:Off-Label Use / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors