ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2021
Long-term antidepressant use in general practice: a qualitative study of GPs' views on discontinuation.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Discontinuing antidepressant medication: a qualitative evidence synthesis and logic model based on health professionals' views.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Long-Term Cardiovascular Risks of Anticholinergic Versus Non-Anticholinergic Antidepressants: A Target Trial Emulation With Negative Control Correction.Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2026Article
- Patients' Perspectives on Antidepressant Discontinuation and the Pharmacists' Role.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2026Article
- Increasing Prevalence of Long-Term Antidepressant Use in Australia: A Retrospective Observational Study.Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2025Observational
- Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on Antidepressant Discontinuation: A Focus Group Study.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2025Article
- Article
- The patient's perspectives of safe and routine proactive deprescribing in primary care for older people living with polypharmacy: a qualitative study.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Relationship between facility number of clinicians and prescribing intensity of psychotropic medications, opioids, and antibiotics in ambulatory practice.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- The lived experience of withdrawal from Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants: A qualitative interview study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Acceptability and optimisation of resources to support antidepressant cessation: a qualitative think-aloud study with patients in Australian primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Discontinuation of antidepressant treatment: a retrospective cohort study on more than 20,000 participants.Annals of general psychiatry · 2023Article
- Article
- Examining clinician choice to follow-up (or not) on automated notifications of medication non-adherence by clinical decision support systems.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2023Article
- General practitioners' perspectives on discontinuation of long-term antidepressants in nursing homes.The European journal of general practice · 2022Article
- Antidepressant medication prescribing patterns in Irish general practice from 2016 to 2020 to assess for long-term use.Irish journal of medical science · 2022Article
- 'Never change a winning team': GPs' perspectives on discontinuation of long-term antidepressants.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is considerable concern about increasing antidepressant use, with Australians among the highest users in the world. Evidence suggests this is driven by patients on long-term use, rather than new prescriptions. Most antidepressant prescriptions are generated in general practice, and it is likely that attempts to discontinue are either not occurring or are proving unsuccessful.
aimTo explore GPs' insights about long-term antidepressant prescribing and discontinuation. DESIGN AND
settingA qualitative interview study with Australian GPs.
methodSemi-structured interviews explored GPs' discontinuation experiences, decision-making, perceived risks and benefits, and support for patients. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
resultsThree overarching themes were identified from interviews with 22 GPs. The first, 'not a simple deprescribing decision', spoke to the complex decision-making GPs undertake in determining whether a patient is ready to discontinue. The second, 'a journey taken together', captured a set of steps GPs take together with their patients to initiate and set-up adequate support before, during, and after discontinuation. The third, 'supporting change in GPs' prescribing practices', described what GPs would like to see change to better support them and their patients to discontinue antidepressants.
conclusionGPs see discontinuation of long-term antidepressant use as more than a simple deprescribing decision. It begins with considering a patient's social and relational context, and is a journey involving careful preparation, tailored care, and regular review. These insights suggest interventions to redress long-term use will need to take these considerations into account and be placed in a wider discussion about the use of antidepressants.
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