Prescribing Patterns of Psychotropic Medications for Common Psychiatric Disorders in a Mental Health Hospital in Tabuk

TL;DR

This study analyzed how psychotropic medications are prescribed for mental health disorders at a hospital in Saudi Arabia, finding common patterns and combinations used.

Contribution

The study provides a detailed analysis of psychotropic medication prescribing patterns in a specific mental health hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

Schizophrenia was the most common psychiatric diagnosis among patients.

Second-generation antipsychotics were the most prescribed medication class.

Polypharmacy was common, with many patients receiving combinations of antipsychotics and mood stabilizers or antidepressants.

Abstract

Introduction: Mental health disorders are often chronic and disabling conditions that impact different populations, irrespective of age, cultural background, or socioeconomic status. This study aimed to describe the prescribing pattern of psychotropic medications in patients with psychiatric disorders.

Methods: This research was a retrospective investigation of psychotropic medication prescribing patterns and conducted at Eradah Mental Health Hospital at Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia. The data were extracted from the electronic medical database of adult patients presenting to the outpatient and inpatient clinics of a mental health hospital between 2020 and 2023. The diagnosis of psychiatric disorders was identified using the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes version 2019 for mental and behavioral disorders (F00 to F99).

Results: The electronic medication records of 526 patients were reviewed, of whom 510 (97%) were Saudi nationals, 368 (69.9%) were males, 235 (44.7%) were between 31 and 40 years of age, and 233 (44.3%) were outpatients. The most common psychiatric diagnoses were schizophrenia (33.3%), followed by bipolar affective disorder (16.9%). A total of 2,153 medication orders for psychotropic medications were quantified. Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) and first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) were the top prescribed medication classes (1,290, 60%), followed by mood stabilizers (324, 15%). More than one-half of the patients (282, 53.6%) received a combination of antipsychotic and mood stabilizers, and 155 (29.5%) received a combination of antipsychotic and antidepressant medications. No significant differences were observed in prescribing for males and females.

Conclusion: Schizophrenia was highly prevalent among adult patients who sought mental healthcare. Polypharmacy of psychotropic medication was common depending on the symptoms' severity and comorbid psychiatric diseases.

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