title: Psychopharmacological Prescriptions in Children and Adolescents in Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In view of the well-known increase in prescriptions of stimulants for children and adolescents over the last 20 years, it is important to study trends in the prevalence and incidence of the use of other psychotropic drugs by this age group as well, to enable an early response to potential problems in the current care situation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used nationwide data from German statutory health insurance funds (Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse [AOK], all insurees; Techniker Kranken - kasse [TK], a 50% randomized sample) concerning all insurees aged 0-17 years (5.0 million people in 2012) to study trends in the prevalence and incidence of psychotropic medication use as well as initially prescribing medical specialties over the period 2004-2012, both for the overall group of psychotropic drugs and for selected subgroups of drugs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 2004 to 2012, the prevalence of psychotropic drug prescriptions (not including herbal and homeopathic substances) for children and adolescents rose from 19.6 to 27.1 per 1000 individuals. Marked rises were seen for stimulants (10.5 to 19.1 per 1000) and antipsychotic drugs (2.3 to 3.1 per 1000), while the prevalence of antidepressant prescriptions remained constant at about 2 per 1000. The rates of new prescriptions from 2006 to 2012 were generally constant or decreasing; for the overall group of (non-herbal, nonhomeopathic) psychotropic drugs, the rate of new prescriptions fell from 9.9 to 8.7 per 1000. There was a trend toward the issuance of new prescriptions by medical specialists, rather than by family physicians and pediatricians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed increased prevalence of psychotropic drug use among children and adolescents appears to be due not to an increased rate of initial prescriptions for these drugs, but rather to a rise in the number of patients who, once having received such drugs, were given further prescriptions for them in the years that followed.
authors.affiliation: PMV Research Group at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Scientific Institute of the AOK (WIdO, Wissenschaftliches Institut der AOK), Berlin, Scientific Institute of the TK for Benefit and Efficiency in Health Care (WINEG, Wissenschaftliches Institut der TK für Nutzen und Effizienz im Gesundheitswesen), Hamburg.
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ihle
authors.forename: Jürgen-Bernhard
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Günster
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Linder
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lehmkuhl
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schübert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067697:Adolescent Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D002675:Child, Preschool; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs