Antipsychotic management in general practice: serial cross-sectional study (2011–2020)

• DOI: 10.3399/bjgp.2024.0367
• Publication Date: 2024-09-20T15:15:19Z
• Authors: Alan Woodall; Alex Gampel; Lauren E Walker; Frances S Mair; Sally Sheard; Pyers Symon; Iain Buchan
• Keywords: Depression; Cross-sectional study

Background: Long-term use of antipsychotics confers increased risk cardiometabolic disease. Ongoing need should be reviewed regularly by psychiatrists. Aim: To explore trends in antipsychotic management general practice, and proportions patients prescribed receiving psychiatrist review. Design Setting: A serial cross-sectional study using linked practice hospital data Wales (2011-2020). Method: Participants were adults (≥18 years) registered with practices Wales. Outcome measures prevalence ≥6 prescriptions annually, proportion annual review, on UK Serious Mental Illness, Depression and/or Dementia registers, or not any these registers. Results: Prevalence long-term from 1.06% (95%CI 1.04 to 1.07%) 2011 1.45% 1.43 1.46%) 2020. The review decreased 59.6% 58.9 60.4%) 52.0% (95C%CI 51.4 52.7%) the Illness register 50% 49 51%) 56% 56 57%) Conclusions: is increasing. More are managed practitioners without monitored disease registers; they thus may less likely undergo monitoring miss opportunities optimise deprescribe antipsychotics. These pose risks for addressed urgently.