Psychoactive drug prescribing in clinic and private practice

Privately practicing physicians, mainly family practitioners, were found in 1966 to prescribe psychoactive drugs somewhat differently from various types of outpatient clinic. Differences could be accounted for in part by differences in clientele, which are described. At that time, psychiatric clinics were considerably more wary of barbiturates and amphetamines than the private physician, or the medical or other outpatient clinics. There are indications of a current trend in private prescribing away from sedatives and hypnotics, and toward the minor tranquilizers and antidepressants. Prescription of amphetamine-containing drugs has also decreased, though not of phenmetrazines. Private physicians (and even more so the outpatient clinics) prescribed barbiturates, antidepressants and meprobamate in quantities far beyond the massive dose. A cost-benefit analysis is suggested.