ArticleHealth services research2019
Initiation of new psychotropic prescriptions without a psychiatric diagnosis among US adults: Rates, correlates, and national trends from 2006 to 2015.
Article in Health services research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- "Prescribers Beware": a narrative review of dangerous drug-drug-interactions involving psychotropic medications.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Review
- Expectations for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Psychiatry.Current psychiatry reports · 2022Review
- An Examination of Prescribing Responsibilities between Psychiatrists and Primary Care Providers.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2021Article
- Prevalence and Outcomes of Major Psychiatric Disorders Preceding Index Surgery for Degenerative Thoracic/Lumbar Spine Disease.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Treatment of Heart Failure Patients with Anxiolytics Is Associated with Adverse Outcomes, with and without Depression.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Article
- Social determinants of mental health care systems: intensive community based Care in the Veterans Health Administration.BMC public health · 2020Article
- 20-Year Trends in the Pharmacologic Treatment of Bipolar Disorder by Psychiatrists in Outpatient Care Settings.The American journal of psychiatry · 2020Article
- Coprescribing of Benzodiazepines and Opioids in Older Adults: Rates, Correlates, and National Trends.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2019Article
- Initiation of new psychotropic prescriptions without a psychiatric diagnosis among US adults: Rates, correlates, and national trends from 2006 to 2015.Health services research · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo estimate rates and national trends of initiation of new psychotropic medications without a psychiatric diagnosis and to identify demographic and clinical correlates independently associated with such use among US adults in outpatient settings. DATA SOURCE: Data were gathered from the 2006-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), a nationally representative sample of office-based U.S. outpatient care. The sample was limited to adults aged 18 or older who received a new psychotropic drug prescription (n = 8618 unweighted). STUDY
designUsing a repeated cross-sectional design with survey sampling techniques, we estimated prescription initiation rates and national trends. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis was used to identify correlates independently associated with initiation of new psychotropic prescriptions without a psychiatric diagnosis. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION
methodsData were publicly available, and we extracted them from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. PRINCIPAL
findingsAltogether, at 60.4% of visits at which a new psychotropic prescription was initiated, no psychiatric diagnosis was recorded for the visit. Overall, the rate increased from 59.1% in 2006-2007 to 67.7% in 2008-2009 and then decreased to 52.0% in 2014-2015. Visits to psychiatrists were associated with very low odds of having no psychiatric diagnosis when compared to primary care visits (OR = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.01-0.04). Visits to non-psychiatric specialists showed 6.90 times greater odds of not having a psychiatric diagnosis when compared to primary care visits (95% CI, 5.38-8.86).
conclusionNew psychotropic medications are commonly initiated without any psychiatric diagnosis, especially by non-psychiatrist physicians. Non-psychiatrists should document relevant diagnoses more vigilantly to prevent potentially inappropriate use or misuse.
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Registered trials
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