Prevalence, trends, and individual patterns of long-term antidepressant medication use in the adult Swiss general population

Amrein, Melanie A.; Hengartner, Michael P.; Näpflin, Markus; Farcher, Renato; Huber, Carola A.

doi:10.1007/s00228-023-03559-4

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-28653

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Prevalence, trends, and individual patterns of long-term antidepressant medication use in the adult Swiss general population
Authors:	Amrein, Melanie A. Hengartner, Michael P. Näpflin, Markus Farcher, Renato Huber, Carola A.
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.1007/s00228-023-03559-4 10.21256/zhaw-28653
Published in:	European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
Volume(Issue):	79
Issue:	11
Page(s):	1505
Pages to:	1513
Issue Date:	5-Sep-2023
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Springer
ISSN:	0031-6970 1432-1041
Language:	English
Subjects:	Antidepressant; Long-term use; Pharmacoepidemiology; Time trend
Subject (DDC):	615: Pharmacology and therapeutics 616.8: Neurology, diseases of nervous system
Abstract:	Purpose: Antidepressant use has increased in many European countries, mostly driven by longer treatment duration. The aim of this study was to provide prevalence rates of long-term users of antidepressants for the Swiss population over the last decade and to investigate associated factors for longer use. Methods: We examined the prevalence rates of individuals with at least one prescription for antidepressants using longitudinal health claims data for 2013 to 2021. We defined short- (< one year), medium- (one–two years), and long-term users (> two years) for 2015 to 2019. We applied a binary logistic regression model to investigate the effects of population (gender, age, area of living, language, health insurance plan, and nursing home) and treatment characteristics (psychiatric or psychotherapeutic care) on long-term compared to short- and medium-term users in 2019. Results: In 2021, 9% of the Swiss population (n = 770,698) received at least one antidepressant prescription, which remained stable since 2013. In 2019, the proportion of long-term users was 57.4%, with steady increase since 2015. The proportion of medium- and short-term users has decreased. Older age, being a woman, living in an urban area, living in a nursing home, being enrolled in a standard care plan, and receiving psychiatric or psychotherapeutic care were factors positively associated with being a long-term user. Conclusion: The proportion of long-term users in Switzerland is high and steadily increasing. Given the ongoing debate about the confounding effects of relapse and withdrawal, more research is needed to investigate longer use of antidepressants that could indicate overprescribing.
Further description:	Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch)
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/28653
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	Applied Psychology
Organisational Unit:	Psychological Institute (PI)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Angewandte Psychologie

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Amrein, M. A., Hengartner, M. P., Näpflin, M., Farcher, R., & Huber, C. A. (2023). Prevalence, trends, and individual patterns of long-term antidepressant medication use in the adult Swiss general population. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 79(11), 1505–1513. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-023-03559-4

Amrein, M.A. et al. (2023) ‘Prevalence, trends, and individual patterns of long-term antidepressant medication use in the adult Swiss general population’, European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 79(11), pp. 1505–1513. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-023-03559-4.

M. A. Amrein, M. P. Hengartner, M. Näpflin, R. Farcher, and C. A. Huber, “Prevalence, trends, and individual patterns of long-term antidepressant medication use in the adult Swiss general population,” European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 79, no. 11, pp. 1505–1513, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s00228-023-03559-4.

AMREIN, Melanie A., Michael P. HENGARTNER, Markus NÄPFLIN, Renato FARCHER und Carola A. HUBER, 2023. Prevalence, trends, and individual patterns of long-term antidepressant medication use in the adult Swiss general population. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 5 September 2023. Bd. 79, Nr. 11, S. 1505–1513. DOI 10.1007/s00228-023-03559-4

Amrein, Melanie A., Michael P. Hengartner, Markus Näpflin, Renato Farcher, and Carola A. Huber. 2023. “Prevalence, Trends, and Individual Patterns of Long-Term Antidepressant Medication Use in the Adult Swiss General Population.” European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 79 (11): 1505–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-023-03559-4.

Amrein, Melanie A., et al. “Prevalence, Trends, and Individual Patterns of Long-Term Antidepressant Medication Use in the Adult Swiss General Population.” European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 79, no. 11, Sept. 2023, pp. 1505–13, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-023-03559-4.