SynthesisThe Psychiatric quarterly2024
Prevalence of Antidepressant Prescriptions for Community-Dwelling Adults Diagnosed with Depressive Disorder in the UK: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in The Psychiatric quarterly, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Use of serotonergic antidepressants and perioperative complications in patients undergoing lower limb arthroplasty: Systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.Journal of orthopaedics · 2025Review
- COPD and Comorbid Mental Health: Addressing Anxiety, and Depression, and Their Clinical Management.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for the treatment of depression is widely followed and has international influence. According to these guidelines, antidepressant medications are recommended for moderate to severe depression. Nonetheless, antidepressants are increasingly prescribed, including for cases of subthreshold and mild depression. This may indicate that a proportion of depressed patients uses pharmacological interventions with unclear evidence-base, though other factors such as physical and mental health comorbidities need to be accounted for. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and trends of antidepressant prescriptions among community-dwelling adults diagnosed with depression according to NICE recommendations. We conducted a systematic review of PsycInfo, PubMed/MEDLINE, and Scopus databases. Observational studies reporting on the prevalence of antidepressant treatments in UK adults diagnosed with depression were sought. Fifteen studies were included. The prevalence of antidepressants for depression treatment ranged from 30.8 to 95% and mainly concerned selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) among classes of antidepressant drugs. Little information about depression severity as well as comorbid conditions was reported. High prevalence rates of antidepressant drug use highlight the widespread adoption of pharmacological interventions, while also raising concerns about compliance with NICE guidelines. Careful assessment of depressive illness severity and comorbidities is needed to ensure the delivery of adequate care to people with depression. Systematic Review Registration Number (PROSPERO) CRD42023448152.
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Identifiers
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Registered trials
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