| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2019 | Volume
: 10
| Issue : 1 | Page : 26-32 |
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The frequency and patterns of psychotropic use among children and adolescents in an outpatient psychiatric facility: An observational study
Bilal Ahmad Bhat1, Arshad Hussain1, Wasim Qadir2, Shabir Ahmad Dar1
1 Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
2 Department of Pediatrics, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Bilal Ahmad Bhat
Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/mjmsr.mjmsr_13_19
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Background: Psychiatric disorders are now frequently diagnosed in children and adolescents, and psychotropic medications are being used increasingly for the treatment of these disorders. Aims: The aim is to study the frequency and the pattern of prescription of psychotropic drugs in outpatient child and adolescent psychiatric facility. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in outpatient child and adolescent psychiatric facility. Materials and Methods: The outpatient department prescription of all patients who were ≤18 years of age, who attended the Outpatient Child and Adolescent Facility of Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Srinagar, over 1½-year period were studied. The following details were recorded – age, gender, diagnosis with comorbidity, and the psychotropic drugs which were prescribed. Results: A total of 624 patients attended the outpatient service during the study period. The mean age was 7.74 years (standard deviation = 3.76). 67.3% were male. Hyperkinetic disorder (27.1%) and mental retardation (26.3%) were the more frequent diagnosis. Comorbidity was present in 28.8%. 60.6% of the patients were prescribed psychotropic medication with 44.9% being prescribed a single psychotropic, 15.1% were prescribed two psychotropics simultaneously, and 0.6% were prescribed three psychotropics simultaneously. Stimulants (17.5%), risperidone (25.2%), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (9.9%) were the commonly prescribed psychotropics. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive analysis was carried out with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and results were presented as frequencies and percentages. Conclusion: Simulants, antipsychotics, and antidepressants were commonly prescribed psychotropics with stimulants and antidepressants mostly being prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and depression, while most of the antipsychotics being prescribed for nonpsychotic conditions.
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