Today's Irish Examiner investigation should be the beginning of a wider-ranging look at the manifold variations of antidepressant prescription around the country, says Siobhán Barry.
With the move from the fragmented Health Board system of care to a streamlined HSE in 2005 it was expected that 'post code' differences of practice might be ironed out and that should disparities become apparent, these would be examined to account for discrepancy and appropriate remedial action to follow. Today's piece by Catherine Shanahan reveals wide national variations in prescribing psychotropic medication that might reasonably have been expected to have been recognised and analysed internally by the HSE in their routine audits of their financial outlay and explanations sought.
Data presented here referred only to those who either sought some form of reimbursement of the cost of their medication from the state, comprising over 71% of the population in the year studied. Therefore the findings are indicative and a more indepth analysis of this material should be carried out by health economists.
Other than a scholarly paper on differences in prescribing practices in Ireland by Martin Kenneally and Brenda Lynch of the Centre for Policy Studies in UCC there appears to be little research interest in prescribing variations in Ireland. The information available shows inconsistency in the prescription of antidepressants and antianxiety medications from local health office to local health office. Not alone are there differences in the rates of prescription per head of population but also there are many-fold variations in the quantities of individual medication prescribed from area to area.
Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil with accompanying unpleasant feelings of dread over anticipated events. It is often accompanied by muscular tension, restlessness, fatigue and problems in concentration. Anxiety treatment recommendations include making lifestyle changes, anxiety management therapy to enable better symptom management, and medications. Medications are typically recommended only if other measures are not effective and it is universally recommended that such medication is prescribed for a short period of time due to the risk of dependency. Typically, an anxious air traveller might take an antianxiety pill such a diazepam or alprazolam [xanax] to help them get on a plane, stopping such medication once they land. Such anti anxiety medication work quickly but they can lead to dependency when they continue to be prescribed.
Source: Siobhán Barry, Irish Examiner, 19/05/15
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