Trends in the use of antidepressants among older adults: Bambuí Project


Autoria(s): Loyola Filho,Antônio Ignácio de; Castro-Costa,Érico; Firmo,Josélia Oliveira Araújo; Peixoto,Sérgio Viana
Data(s)

01/12/2014

Resumo

OBJECTIVE To analyze the trends and factors associated with the antidepressant use among older adults. METHODS This population-based study evaluated older adults in 1997 (n = 351, baseline) and the survivors at the 15th follow-up year (n = 462, in 2012) among the aging cohort of Bambuí. The prevalence of antidepressant use was estimated, and the most commonly used antidepressants each year were identified. Prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance to investigate differences in the prevalence of use between 1997 and 2012. RESULTS The overall consumption of antidepressants (PR = 2.87, 95%CI 1.94;4.25) and of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (PR = 7.50, 95%CI 3.74;15.02) was significantly higher in 2012. However, no significant difference was observed in the use of tricyclic antidepressants between the two cohorts (PR = 0.89, 95%CI 0.49;1.62). In the 2012 cohort, antidepressant use was associated with females, increased age, increased income (≥ 4 minimum wages), self-assessment of health as reasonable, and attending ≥ 5 medical consultations in the last 12 months. CONCLUSIONS The increased consumption of antidepressants in the period due to increased use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was consistent with results observed in international studies of different population groups and contexts. The positive correlation observed between antidepressant use and family income may be a warning of possible inequalities in access to mental health services.

Formato

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Identificador

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-89102014000600857

Idioma(s)

en

Publicador

Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo

Fonte

Revista de Saúde Pública v.48 n.6 2014

Palavras-Chave #Aged #Antidepressive Agents, therapeutic use #Drug Utilization, trends #Socioeconomic Factors #Pharmacoepidemiology
Tipo

journal article