Conference paper
WAS CIPRIANI RIGHT? Audits to compare discharge rates and suicidality between antidepressant Monotherapies used in a British Community Mental Health Team
Mark Agius
; South Essex Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust, UK;Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK
Jenny Gardner
; Clinical School, Cambridge University, UK
Kathy Liu
; Clinical School, Cambridge University, UK
Rashid Zaman
; South Essex Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust, UK;Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK
Abstract
Introduction: A Metanalysis by Cipriani recently showed that certain antidepressants were more effective and better tolerated
than others. We wished to see whether these findings were reflected in the outcomes of depression treatment in our Community
Mental Health Team (CMHT).
Subjects and Methods: We related medication choice and dosage range to outcomes of treatment as reflected by discharge rates
and suicidality.
Results: In this paper we emphasize the relationship of Dose Range to outcome.
Discussion: Our results are in accord with those of Cipriani. We note that Prescription of ‘the four’ was associated with a
greater percentage of patients discharged from the clinic than ‘the others’. Sertraline was the antidepressant most likely to reduce
suicidality in our sample. For patients with unipolar depression, discharge rates were higher when they were prescribed one of the
four medications indicated by Cipriani and highest when prescribed escitalopram. For patients who also had other indications,
discharge rates were higher for the group other than the four antidepressants identified by Cipriani and highest for fluoxetine.
Regarding Dose Ranges, we note that wheras many patients had their dosage titrated upwards from the starting dose, most did not
have the dosage titrated to the highest dose of the relevant medication.
Conclusion: It does appear that the antidepressants identified by Cipriani are effective compared with other monotherapies.
Medication doses need to be optimised in order to achieve optimal treatment in Depression. Our results suggest that co-morbid
undiagnosed other mental illness may often be a cause of ‘resistant depression’. We recommend that all CMHTs should carry out
audits of their prescribing practice in order to optimise treatment outcomes.
Keywords
anti-depressants; prescribing; audit; suicidality; discharge rates
Hrčak ID:
262372
URI
Publication date:
14.9.2010.
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