title: Psychotropic Drug Consumption and Employment Status in Time of Economic Crisis (2007-2011).
abstract: Psychiatric disorders and in particular depression have increased during the "Great Recession". The aim of this study was to investigate the consumption of psychotropic drugs in people who lost their permanent employment, using administrative data. The study considered all of the subjects domiciled in Lombardy, Northern Italy, who lost a permanent employment between 2008 and 2010, not assuming psychotropic drugs and who did not find a new job within the following 12 months. The control group included people who did not lose permanent job in the study period, matched to the cases for gender, age, nationality, skill level, education and economic sector, using propensity score matching. The subjects who lost their permanent employment were 17 % more likely to receive one or more drug prescriptions than the controls, but the difference was significant only for males. Females, subjects aged >50 years, low skill level workers and Italians were more likely to have received a prescription for psychotropic drugs than respectively males, subjects aged 20-29 years or aged 30-39 years, low skill level workers and non-Italians. The average number of drugs prescribed for those who lost their job and those who continued working was respectively 2.9 and 3.1. In conclusion, losing a permanent job increases significantly psychotropic drugs consumption in males but not in females.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Cadore 48, 20052, Monza, MB, Italy.
authors.forename: Cesare Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cornaggia
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, ASST-Rhodense, via S. Tommaso d'Aquino 2, 20017, Rho, MI, Italy. mbeghi@asst-rhodense.it.
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beghi
authors.affiliation: CRISP, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza Della Scienza 3, 20126, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mezzanzanica
authors.affiliation: CRISP, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza Della Scienza 3, 20126, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ronzoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Economy and Statistics, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Bicocca degli Arcimboldi 8, 20126, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vittadini
authors.affiliation: Department of Economy and Statistics, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Bicocca degli Arcimboldi 8, 20126, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maffenini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D057172:Economic Recession / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: Administrative data; Great recession; Permanent job; Prescription; Psychotropic drugs; Unemployment