ArticleBMJ open2020
Changes over a decade in psychotropic prescribing for people with intellectual disabilities: prospective cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of Psychotropic Use and Psychotropic Polypharmacy in a Finnish National Cohort of Persons With Intellectual Disabilities.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR · 2026Observational
- A Rapid Mapping Review of Medication Burden in Adults with an Intellectual Disability: What We Know and What We Do Not Know.Drug, healthcare and patient safety · 2026Review
- Article
- A Scoping Review of the Intersectionality of Autism and Intellectual and Developmental Disability with Social Inequity on Diagnosis and Treatment of Youth.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2024Article
- Neuroleptic malignant syndrome and serotonin syndrome: a comparative bibliometric analysis.Orphanet journal of rare diseases · 2024Review
- Discordance Between Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medication Use in Children and Adults With Autism Presenting in Crisis.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Article
- Article
- Prescribing antipsychotic medication for adults with intellectual disability: shared responsibilities between mental health services and primary care.BJPsych bulletin · 2022Article
- A study on prescriptions contributing to the risk of high anticholinergic burden in adults with intellectual disabilities: retrospective record linkage study.Annals of general psychiatry · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate psychotropic prescribing in the intellectual disabilities population over 10 years, and associated mental ill health diagnoses.
designComparison of cross-sectional data in 2002-2004 (T1) and 2014 (T2). Longitudinal cohort study with detailed health assessments at T1 and record linkage to T2 prescribing data.
settingGeneral community.
participants1190 adults with intellectual disabilities in T1 compared with 3906 adults with intellectual disabilities in T2. 545/1190 adults with intellectual disabilities in T1 were alive and their records linked to T2 prescribing data.
main outcome measuresEncashed regular and as-required psychotropic prescriptions.
results50.7% (603/1190) of adults in T1 and 48.2% (1881/3906) in T2 were prescribed at least one psychotropic; antipsychotics: 24.5% (292/1190) in T1 and 16.7% (653/3906) in T2; antidepressants: 11.2% (133/1190) in T1 and 19.1% (746/3906) in T2. 21.2% (62/292) prescribed antipsychotics in T1 had psychosis or bipolar disorder, 33.2% (97/292) had no mental ill health or problem behaviours, 20.6% (60/292) had problem behaviours but no psychosis or bipolar disorder. Psychotropics increased from 47.0% (256/545) in T1 to 57.8% (315/545) in T2 (p<0.001): antipsychotics did not change (OR 1.18; 95% CI 0.87 to 1.60; p=0.280), there was an increase for antidepressants (OR 2.80; 95% CI 1.96 to 4.00; p<0.001), hypnotics/anxiolytics (OR 2.19; 95% CI 1.34 to 3.61; p=0.002), and antiepileptics (OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.84; p=0.017). Antipsychotic prescribing increased for people with problem behaviours in T1 (OR 6.45; 95% CI 4.41 to 9.45; p<0.001), more so than for people with other mental ill health in T1 (OR 4.11; 95% CI 2.76 to 6.11; p<0.001).
conclusionsDespite concerns about antipsychotic prescribing and guidelines recommending their withdrawal, it appears that while fewer antipsychotic prescriptions were initiated by T2 than in T1, people were not withdrawn from them once commenced. People with problem behaviours had increased prescribing. There was also a striking increase in antidepressant prescriptions. Adults with intellectual disabilities need frequent and careful medication reviews.
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