• About
  • Masthead
  • License Content
  • Advertise
  • Submit Press Release
  • RSS/Email List
  • Write for us
  • Contact us
2 Minute Medicine
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

SUBSCRIBE
  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • AccountLog-in/out
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
2 Minute Medicine
  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • AccountLog-in/out
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
SUBSCRIBE
2 Minute Medicine
Subscribe
Home All Specialties Chronic Disease

Antipsychotics over-prescribed to patients with intellectual disability in United Kingdom

byDaniel FisherandRavi Shah
September 3, 2015
in Chronic Disease, Psychiatry
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

1. The rate of antipsychotic prescriptions far exceeded the prevalence of severe mental illness, epilepsy, and dementia in patients with intellectual disability than in the general population.

2. Challenging behavior was present in over one-third of patients with intellectual disability with antipsychotic prescription rates being significantly higher in these patients.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)           

Study Rundown: Patients with intellectual disability have rates of mental illness equal to or higher than the general population and many of these patients have also been identified as having challenging behavior or behavioral problems, i.e. behavioral issues that challenge the safety of the patient’s themselves or people around them or restrict access to facilities. Further, because of atypical presentations of mental illness and behavioral issues, there has been concern that psychotropic medications may be inappropriately prescribed more often than necessary in this cohort of patients. This cohort study, based on a large database of United Kingdom general practices (The Health Improvement Network; THIN), found that in patients with intellectual disability, the prevalence of mental illness was 34% and the prevalence of severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other psychoses, was about 9%. Challenging behavior was also reported in over one-third of patients with intellectual disability. Though these rates are higher than most reported in the general population, the rate of antipsychotics prescription was disproportionately higher in patients with intellectual disability without diagnosis of severe mental illness than in patients without severe mental illness in the general population. Antipsychotic prescription rates increased with age, challenging behavior, epilepsy and dementia even when taking into account sex, social deprivation, and sleep disorders.

This study suggests that many patients with intellectual disability are being prescribed antipsychotics for behavioral problems or without a clear diagnosis of mental illness. This common departure from many current health guidelines also seems to be evident in other European cohort studies but much less so in North American practices. With a large cohort of patients and a strong study design, it seems likely that antipsychotics are being prescribed frequently to patients with intellectual disability to treat issues unassociated with mental illness in the United Kingdom.

Click to read the study in the BMJ

Relevant Reading: Challenging behaviour and learning disabilities: summary of NICE guidelines

RELATED REPORTS

#VisualAbstract: Bimekizumab shows a favourable 2-year safety profile in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis

Medical cannabis provides little improvement to sleep in chronic pain patients

Alzheimer disease in individuals with Down syndrome has similar variability in age of onset and mortality rate as autosomal dominant forms

In-Depth [retrospective cohort]: 33,016 patients with intellectual disability were identified from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) with 211,793 patient-years of data collected from 571 general practices representing 3.7 million active patients in the United Kingdom. 34% of patients with intellectual disabilities had a history of mental illness with 9% having severe mental illness. From 1999 to 2013, the rate of severe mental illness diagnosis decreased by 5% per year (CI95 3 to 7%) while rates of anxiety and depression diagnosis did not change. 36% of patients with intellectual disability had challenging behavior. By contrast, 63% of patients with intellectual disability had a history of being prescribed psychotropic drugs, and the rate of antipsychotic prescriptions fell by 4% each year (CI95 3 to 5%). Of patients with intellectual disability, 71% were prescribed antipsychotics without a comorbid diagnosis of severe mental illness and 26% also lacked a history of any challenging behavior. Increasing age, severe mental illness, depression, anxiety, epilepsy, autism, and dementia were all associated with increased incidence of challenging behavior (p < 0.05), while no associations were found by sex or social deprivation using the Townsend scale. In addition, all of these variables associated with challenging behavior were associated with an increased in antipsychotic prescription after controlling for age, sex, neuropsychiatric diagnosis, social deprivation, and year of study entry. Those with challenging behavior had a higher likelihood of being prescribed antipsychotics as shown by an incidence rate ratio of 2.08 (CI95 1.90 to 2.27) than those without challenging behavior.

Image: PD

©2015 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without expressed written consent from 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. Inquire about licensing here. No article should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors or by 2 Minute Medicine, Inc.

Previous Post

First-born sisters more likely to be overweight or obese compared to their younger sisters

Next Post

Adaptive ventilation for central sleep apnea linked to increased mortality in heart failure patients

RelatedReports

#VisualAbstract: Bimekizumab shows a favourable 2-year safety profile in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis
StudyGraphics

#VisualAbstract: Bimekizumab shows a favourable 2-year safety profile in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis

May 27, 2022
Parental cannabis use increasing, cigarette use decreasing
Chronic Disease

Medical cannabis provides little improvement to sleep in chronic pain patients

May 27, 2022
Genetic risk assessment for Alzheimer’s disease does not increase anxiety, depression or stress
Chronic Disease

Alzheimer disease in individuals with Down syndrome has similar variability in age of onset and mortality rate as autosomal dominant forms

May 26, 2022
#VisualAbstract: Ruxolitinib shows long-term safety and efficacy in inadequately controlled polycythaemia vera without splenomegaly
StudyGraphics

#VisualAbstract: Ruxolitinib shows long-term safety and efficacy in inadequately controlled polycythaemia vera without splenomegaly

May 26, 2022
Next Post
Adaptive ventilation for central sleep apnea linked to increased mortality in heart failure patients

Adaptive ventilation for central sleep apnea linked to increased mortality in heart failure patients

Extensive lymphadenectomy may not increase patient survival with esophageal cancer

Extensive lymphadenectomy may not increase patient survival with esophageal cancer

CT findings independently predict costs associated with acute appendicitis

CT findings independently predict costs associated with acute appendicitis

License Our Award-Winning Physician-Written Medical News and Visual Abstracts

2 Minute Medicine is the leading authoritative medical news licensing service, and the only with reports written by practicing doctors.

LICENSE CONTENT

Get 2MM+ Premium Access

No ads & unlimited access to all current reports, over 9000 searchable archived reports, visual abstracts, Weekly Rewinds, and the online edition of The Classics Series™ textbook.

Subscription Options
2 Minute Medicine

2 Minute Medicine® is an award winning, physician-run, expert medical media company. Our content is curated, written and edited by practicing health professionals who have clinical and scientific expertise in their field of reporting. Our editorial management team is comprised of highly-trained MD physicians. Join numerous brands, companies, and hospitals who trust our licensed content.

Recent Reports

  • #VisualAbstract: Bimekizumab shows a favourable 2-year safety profile in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis
  • Medical cannabis provides little improvement to sleep in chronic pain patients
  • Alzheimer disease in individuals with Down syndrome has similar variability in age of onset and mortality rate as autosomal dominant forms
License Content
Terms of Use | Disclaimer
Cookie Policy
Privacy Statement (EU)
Disclaimer

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.

  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.