Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35770420›Full record

ArticleBJPsych open2022

Antidepressant prescribing patterns in Australia.

Gin S Malhi, Mustafa Acar, Mahsa H Kouhkamari, Tzu Hsiang Chien, Prabhjot Juneja, Sinthuja Siva, Bernhard T Baune

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BJPsych open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Understanding antidepressant change patterns in the UK Biobank.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Observational
  8. 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

7 authors.

Gin S MalhiAcademic Department of Psychiatry, Kolling Institute, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia; CADE Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia; and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4524-9091
Mustafa AcarJanssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9173-9956
Mahsa H KouhkamariProspection, Redfern, New South Wales, Australia.
Tzu Hsiang ChienJanssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia.
Prabhjot JunejaProspection, Redfern, New South Wales, Australia.
Sinthuja SivaJanssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia.
Bernhard T BauneDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Münster 48149, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; and The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders (MDcpg

aimsWe examined Australian real-world prescribing habits to determine whether management in clinical practice aligned with MDcpg

methodA retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients ≥16 years old who had been dispensed a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)-listed antidepressant between July 2013 and June 2019 was conducted using Australian Commonwealth Department of Human Services PBS 10% sample data.

resultsBetween July 2013 and June 2019, 239 944 patients in Australia commenced antidepressant treatment. Of these, 22% (52 694 patients) received a second treatment (a new class of treatment after a period of discontinuation or additional antipsychotic therapy) and 6% (15 741 patients) received a third treatment. Patients were initially prescribed primarily selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; 52% of prescriptions) or tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs; 25%), even though TCAs are not recommended for first-line treatment. Fewer than one-quarter of patients were prescribed serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (13%) or other agents (10%). General practitioners (GPs) were more likely to initiate TCAs than psychiatrists (22%

conclusionsFirst-line prescribing broadly follows guidelines. GP and psychiatrist prescribing patterns differ, perhaps reflecting different patient groups and the need to tailor treatment to individuals. Future guidelines should aim to capture the different presentations and complexity of depression.

Indexed as

Antidepressantsclinical practice guidelinesdepressive disordersprescribing patternsreal-world evidence

Identifiers

PMID35770420
PMCPMC9301763

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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.