More Being Prescribed Psychiatric Medications With No Diagnosis
From the 4 August Medical News Today article
59.5% of antidepressant prescriptions were made with no diagnosis in 1996, in 2007 the figure rose to 72.7%, researchers reported in Health Affairs. Antidepressant drugs are today the third most commonly prescribed class of drugs in the USA.
Nearly 8.9% of the American population had at least one antidepressant prescription during any given month during the period 2005-2008.
A good proportion of this growth in antidepressant prescription has been by non-specialist providers whose patients were not diagnosed by a psychiatrist.
Related articles
- Prescriptions for antidepressants increasing among individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis (medicalxpress.com)
- More Antidepressants Prescribed by Non-Psychiatrists (psychcentral.com)
- Antidepressants Overprescribed in Primary Care (psychcentral.com)
About
This blog presents a sampling of health and medical news and resources for all. Selected articles and resources will hopefully be of general interest but will also encourage further reading through posted references and other links. Currently I am focusing on public health, basic and applied research and very broadly on disease and healthy lifestyle topics.
Several times a month I will post items on international and global health issues. My Peace Corps Liberia experience (1980-81) has formed me as a global citizen in many ways and has challenged me to think of health and other topics in a more holistic manner.
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My professional work experience and education includes over 15 years experience as a medical librarian and a Master’s in Library Science. In my most recent position I enjoyed contributing to our library’s blog, performing in depth literature searches, and collaborating with faculty, staff, students, and the general public.
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Health and Medical News and Resources 