mellowsong
08-05-11, 02:05 PM
David W. Freeman
August 5, 2011
Not depressed? That doesn't mean your doctor won't hand you a prescription for antidepressants.
More and more doctors are prescribing the drugs for patients who aren't suffering from depression or any other mental illness, according to a provocative new study.
"We've seen a marked increase in antidepressant use among individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis," study author Dr. Ramin Mojtabai, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in a written statement. "Between 1996 and 2007, the number of visits where individuals were prescribed antidepressants with no psychiatric diagnoses increased from 59.5 percent to 72.7 percent."
The study, which involved an analysis of medical records for 230,000 patient visits, involved only non-psychiatrists - who may be less knowledgeable about just which conditions respond to antidepressants and which don't, Dr. Mojtabai told CBS News. It was published in the August 2011 issue of Health Affairs.
In addition to major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, other emotional problems, antidepressants known to be effective for certain kinds of pain and other physical complaints. But Dr. Mojtabai said there's scant evidence that antidepressants offer any relief from the vague complaints for which some non-psychiatrists prescribe them, including stress, relationship problems, low self-esteem, and ordinary ache and pains.
The biggest outrage? Some patients were prescribed antidepressants even when the medical record indicated no reason.
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20088652-10391704.html
August 5, 2011
Not depressed? That doesn't mean your doctor won't hand you a prescription for antidepressants.
More and more doctors are prescribing the drugs for patients who aren't suffering from depression or any other mental illness, according to a provocative new study.
"We've seen a marked increase in antidepressant use among individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis," study author Dr. Ramin Mojtabai, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in a written statement. "Between 1996 and 2007, the number of visits where individuals were prescribed antidepressants with no psychiatric diagnoses increased from 59.5 percent to 72.7 percent."
The study, which involved an analysis of medical records for 230,000 patient visits, involved only non-psychiatrists - who may be less knowledgeable about just which conditions respond to antidepressants and which don't, Dr. Mojtabai told CBS News. It was published in the August 2011 issue of Health Affairs.
In addition to major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, other emotional problems, antidepressants known to be effective for certain kinds of pain and other physical complaints. But Dr. Mojtabai said there's scant evidence that antidepressants offer any relief from the vague complaints for which some non-psychiatrists prescribe them, including stress, relationship problems, low self-esteem, and ordinary ache and pains.
The biggest outrage? Some patients were prescribed antidepressants even when the medical record indicated no reason.
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20088652-10391704.html