title: The impact of the Canterbury earthquakes on prescribing for mental health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes on the mental health of the local population by examining prescribing patterns of psychotropic medication.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dispensing data from community pharmacies for antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics and sedatives/hypnotics are routinely recorded in a national database. The close relationship between prescribing and dispensing provides the opportunity to assess prescribing trends for Canterbury compared to national data and therefore examines the longitudinal impact of the earthquakes on prescribing patterns.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Short-term increases in the use of anxiolytics and sedatives/hypnotics were observed after the most devastating February 2011 earthquake, but this effect was not sustained. There were no observable effects of the earthquakes on antidepressant or antipsychotic dispensing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term increases in dispensing were only observed for the classes of anxiolytics and sedatives/hypnotics. No sustained changes in dispensing occurred. These findings suggest that long-term detrimental effects on the mental health of the Canterbury population were either not present or have not resulted in increased prescribing of psychotropic medication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago - Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand ben.beaglehole@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Beaglehole
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago - Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago - Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frampton
authors.affiliation: Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McKean
mesh_terms: D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: Disasters; dispensing; earthquakes; mental health; prescribing