Patterns of psychotropic drug use

P. Williams

Social Science & Medicine, 1983, vol. 17, issue 13, 845-851

Abstract: This paper brings together data, obtained from a variety of sources, on the extent of prescription and use of psychotropic drugs in the late 1960s and early 1970s. National prescribing data show that there was a marked increase in the number of prescriptions, and general practice based surveys reveal an increase in the proportion of the population receiving a prescription for a psychotropic drug. Community based surveys, however, show that there was no increase in the proportion of the population who admitted to consuming a psychotropic drug. Analysis of previously published data reveal that this discrepancy is accounted for by two factors: (a) a decrease in compliance and (b) an increase in the average duration of treatment with psychotropic drugs. The implication of these findings are discussed.

Date: 1983
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