How much more effective do depot antipsychotics have to be compared to oral antipsychotics before they are prescribed?

Received 2 December 2009; received in revised form 5 January 2010; accepted 11 January 2010. published online 04 February 2010.

Abstract

Antipsychotic depots are less frequently prescribed than oral compounds. In an experimental study involving N=106 psychiatrists we studied how much more effective with respect to relapse prevention depot antipsychotics have to be compared to oral antipsychotics before they are chosen for prescription.

Most psychiatrists have to judge depot as clearly superior with respect to relapse prevention before they recommend it to patients. If psychiatrists judge depot as unpleasant for the patients and do not see much need for checking their patients' compliance they are less likely to prescribe depot. Other psychiatrist-related factors (e.g. age, gender, and work experience) did not influence attitudes toward depot.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, Antipsychotics, Depot, Effectiveness, Prescription rates

Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Technische Universität München, Germany

Corresponding author. Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Technische Universität München, Möhlstraße 26, 81675 München, Germany. Tel.: +49 89 41404282; fax: +49 89 41406688.

PII: S0924-977X(10)00005-2

doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2010.01.001

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