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An important reason for the rise in antidepressant use could be explained by earlier diagnosis and treatment of depression compared to previous years. Most antidepressants were prescribed by general practitioners.
There was a development of new antidepressants (from tricyclic antidepressants to SSRI or SNRI)(1), with a better tolerability, but other adverse drug reaction profiles.
Comedications and polypharmacy are widely used strategies in many psychiatric disorders(2). The reason may be the limitation of monotherapy with the currently available psychotropic agents.
1)Greil W et al. Pharmacotherapeutic trends in 2231 psychiatric inpatients with bipolar depression from the International AMSP Project between 1994 and 2009.J Affect Disord.2012,136:534-42
2)Möller, H.-J.et al. History, background, concepts and current use of comedication and polypharmacy in psychiatry. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2013, Sep 18:1-14.doi:10.1017/S1461145713000837
Competing interests:
No competing interests
09 December 2013
Detlef Degner
Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University
Re: Antidepressant use has doubled in rich nations in past 10 years
An important reason for the rise in antidepressant use could be explained by earlier diagnosis and treatment of depression compared to previous years. Most antidepressants were prescribed by general practitioners.
There was a development of new antidepressants (from tricyclic antidepressants to SSRI or SNRI)(1), with a better tolerability, but other adverse drug reaction profiles.
Comedications and polypharmacy are widely used strategies in many psychiatric disorders(2). The reason may be the limitation of monotherapy with the currently available psychotropic agents.
1)Greil W et al. Pharmacotherapeutic trends in 2231 psychiatric inpatients with bipolar depression from the International AMSP Project between 1994 and 2009.J Affect Disord.2012,136:534-42
2)Möller, H.-J.et al. History, background, concepts and current use of comedication and polypharmacy in psychiatry. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2013, Sep 18:1-14.doi:10.1017/S1461145713000837
Competing interests: No competing interests