title: Effect of age on the profile of psychotropic users: results from the 2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the effect of age on psychotropic coprescribing, psychiatric diagnoses, and other clinical characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A national sample of outpatient visits to physicians (N = 2,406) in office-based practice in 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults prescribed psychotropic medication (N = 31,229).
  
  
  METHODS
  Office visits at which antidepressant, anxiolytic, sedative, hypnotic, antipsychotic, or mood stabilizer medications were prescribed were grouped according to participant age (21-64, ≥ 65) and then compared within each medication class on visit characteristics. and then compared according to variables including provider type, sex, and race; presence of diagnosed mental illness; prescription of other psychotropic agents; total number of chronic conditions; time spent with physician; and total number of medications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2010, there were 90.3 million antidepressant office visits; 77.7 million anxiolytic/sedative/hypnotic visits; 15.5 million antipsychotic visits; and 9.5 million mood stabilizer visits. Nonpsychiatrists prescribed the majority of psychotropic medications for every class and age group; 17.3% of older adult antipsychotic visits and 44.9% of younger adult antipsychotic visits were to a psychiatrist (chi-square = 19.58, P = .001). Older adults in every medication class were less likely to have a diagnosed mental disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older adults prescribed psychotropic medication were less likely to have a diagnosed mental disorder than their younger counterparts. Efforts to promote quality prescribing should seek to minimize nonspecific use of psychotropic medication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Center for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Donovan T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Maust
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Oslin
authors.forename: Steven C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Marcus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey; pharmacoepidemiology; psychotropic prescribing