TY - JOUR
T1 - Comparison of psychotropic medication use in the Baltic countries
AU - Harro, Jaanus
AU - Aadamsoo, Kaire
AU - Rootslane, Ly
AU - Laius, Ott
AU - O'Leary, Aet
AU - Adomaitiene, Virginija
AU - Kupca, Biruta
AU - Lehtmets, Andres
AU - Navickas, Alvydas
AU - Rancans, Elmars
AU - Taube, Maris
AU - Terauds, Elmars
AU - Pops, Kadri
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 The Nordic Psychiatric Association.
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/5/1
Y1 - 2020/5/1
N2 - Purpose: While the pivotal role of pharmacotherapy in psychiatry is universal, significant regional differences exist in drug use patterns. Herewith we compare the use of ATC psychotropic drugs (N05, psycholeptics and N06A, antidepressants) in 2010-2015 in the three Baltic Countries with reference to the Nordic Countries.Methods: Data were obtained from the national authorities on medicines as expressed in DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for expert statements on the rationale of current use of medicines.Results: During the observation period the use of antipsychotics, anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives, and antidepressants steadily increased, while the growth in use of anxiolytics stagnated in the more recent years. Antipsychotic use was the largest in Lithuania and the lowest in Estonia. The use on anxiolytics in Lithuania was more than twice of that in Estonia and Latvia. Conversely, the use of hypnotics and sedatives was about three times higher in Estonia than in Latvia or Lithuania. Antidepressant use was dominated by the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in all three countries, but overall was much lower in Latvia as compared to Lithuania and Estonia. As compared to the Nordic Countries in 2015, antidepressants are used at much lower level throughout Baltics, probably reflecting underdiagnostics of depression and anxiety disorders.Conclusion: While the health-care expenditures in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are largely similar, as is the cultural and recent political background of these EU member countries, the extent and the pattern of psychotropic drug use is remarkably variable.
AB - Purpose: While the pivotal role of pharmacotherapy in psychiatry is universal, significant regional differences exist in drug use patterns. Herewith we compare the use of ATC psychotropic drugs (N05, psycholeptics and N06A, antidepressants) in 2010-2015 in the three Baltic Countries with reference to the Nordic Countries.Methods: Data were obtained from the national authorities on medicines as expressed in DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for expert statements on the rationale of current use of medicines.Results: During the observation period the use of antipsychotics, anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives, and antidepressants steadily increased, while the growth in use of anxiolytics stagnated in the more recent years. Antipsychotic use was the largest in Lithuania and the lowest in Estonia. The use on anxiolytics in Lithuania was more than twice of that in Estonia and Latvia. Conversely, the use of hypnotics and sedatives was about three times higher in Estonia than in Latvia or Lithuania. Antidepressant use was dominated by the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in all three countries, but overall was much lower in Latvia as compared to Lithuania and Estonia. As compared to the Nordic Countries in 2015, antidepressants are used at much lower level throughout Baltics, probably reflecting underdiagnostics of depression and anxiety disorders.Conclusion: While the health-care expenditures in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are largely similar, as is the cultural and recent political background of these EU member countries, the extent and the pattern of psychotropic drug use is remarkably variable.
KW - Baltic Countries
KW - Psychotropic medicines
KW - cross-country comparison
KW - defined daily dose
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078634033&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/08039488.2019.1707283
DO - 10.1080/08039488.2019.1707283
M3 - Article
C2 - 31889460
SN - 0803-9488
VL - 74
SP - 301
EP - 306
JO - Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
JF - Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
IS - 4
ER -