Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28177063›Full record

ArticleRevista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999)

Prevalence of and factors associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy in patients with serious mental illness: Findings from a cross-sectional study in an upper-middle-income country.

Kerryn S Armstrong, Henk Temmingh

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Complex Psychotropic Polypharmacy in Soweto-based community psychiatry clinics.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2025
    Article
  5. Factors associated with potential drug-drug interactions in psychiatric inpatients.European journal of hospital pharmacy : science and practice · 2024
    Article
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  10. Prescribing patterns of long-acting injectable antipsychotics in a community setting in South Africa.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2022
    Article
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  16. Article
  17. Antipsychotic Polypharmacy: A Dirty Little Secret or a Fashion?The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2020
    Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Social Determinants of Polypharmacy in First Generation Mexican Immigrants in the United States.International journal of travel medicine and global health · 2019
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Kerryn S ArmstrongDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Valkenberg Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa.
Henk TemminghDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Valkenberg Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa.
University of Cape Town · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe aim of our study was to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) among patients with serious mental illness in the current South African health care context.

methodsWe collected data on patient, illness, and treatment characteristics of patients discharged on one or more antipsychotic agents from January to June 2014. We analyzed the associations of APP with demographic and clinical variables using hierarchical multivariable logistic regression, and examined prescription patterns.

resultsThe prevalence of APP in our study population of 577 patients was 28.4%. Demographic and clinical characteristics significantly associated with APP included age > 29, male sex, diagnosis of schizophrenia, comorbid intellectual disability, comorbid substance use, greater number of hospital admissions, and high-dose prescribing. First-generation antipsychotics and long-acting injectable preparations were prominent in APP combinations. Co-prescription of anticholinergic agents and sodium valproate demonstrated a significant association with APP.

conclusionAPP appears common in our population, despite lack of evidence for the practice and possible risk of harm. Our findings suggest a complex interplay among patient, illness, and treatment factors relevant to APP in our setting that could be targeted for intervention.

Indexed as

PolypharmacyAdolescentAdultAntipsychotic AgentsCross-Sectional StudiesDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleHumansMaleMental DisordersMiddle AgedPractice Patterns, Physicians'PrevalenceSouth AfricaYoung AdultAntipsychotic Agents

Identifiers

PMID28177063
PMCPMC7111406
OpenAlexW2587908584

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.