Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026
05:59
Author Spotlight: Overcoming Challenges in Drosophila Sleep Measurement Using DAM System
Published on: October 20, 2023
3.4K
Psychoactive prescribing for older people--what difference does 15 years make?
Lloyd D Hughes1, Lynda Cochrane2, Marion E T McMurdo3
1General Surgery, NHS Tayside, Dundee, UK.
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
|April 21, 2015
Summary
Psychoactive medication prescribing for older adults increased from 1995 to 2010, with greater increases in lower socioeconomic groups. Factors like new drug availability and safety concerns may explain these trends.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Psychopharmacology
- Public Health
Background:
- Psychoactive medication use in older adults is a significant public health concern.
- Understanding trends in prescribing patterns is crucial for optimizing geriatric care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and analyze trends in psychoactive medication prescribing for older residents in Tayside, Scotland, between 1995 and 2010.
Main Methods:
- Utilized community prescribing data for all older residents in Tayside for 1995 and 2010.
- Extracted drug class, prescription dates, and patient demographics (age, gender, socioeconomic status).
- Employed relative risk (RR) calculations and chi-squared tests to compare prescribing patterns and assess statistical significance.
Main Results:
- Overall psychoactive prescribing increased in individuals aged 65 and older from 1995 to 2010.
- Prescriptions for antidepressants and opioid analgesics rose significantly, while hypnotics/anxiolytics and antipsychotics decreased.
- A marked increase in psychoactive prescribing was observed in lower socioeconomic groups, with higher relative risks for multiple prescriptions.
Conclusions:
- Psychoactive medication prescribing among older adults has increased, disproportionately impacting lower socioeconomic populations.
- Potential contributing factors include the introduction of new psychoactive drugs, evolving safety considerations, and economic influences.
- Further research is warranted to explore the specific drivers and implications of these prescribing shifts.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
339
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
339
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
368
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
368
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
817
As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
817
01:28Drug Therapy
416
The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
Antianxiety Medications
416
01:00Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
352
Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are...
352
01:26Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
680
Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation.
680