Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2025
05:52
Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis
Published on: November 21, 2013
15.1K
Antipsychotic prescribing patterns in Australia: a retrospective analysis
Nagesh Pai1,2, Mustafa Acar3, Prabhjot Juneja4
1School of Medicine, University of Wollongong (UOW), Wollongong, Australia. nagesh@uow.edu.au.
BMC Psychiatry
|February 12, 2022
Summary
This study analyzed antipsychotic use in Australian schizophrenia patients. Atypical oral antipsychotics were most common, but persistence was highest with clozapine and atypical long-acting therapies.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
- Real-world evidence
Background:
- Schizophrenia treatment patterns in Australia are not well-documented.
- Understanding antipsychotic prescribing is crucial for optimizing patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine real-world patterns of antipsychotic use in Australian schizophrenia patients.
- To analyze treatment persistence with different antipsychotic medications.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort analysis of Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data (July 2013-September 2017).
- Included patients aged 16+ initiating antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia.
- Kaplan-Meier methods used to estimate treatment persistence.
Main Results:
- 6,740 patients were analyzed, with 8,249 treatment episodes.
- Atypical oral antipsychotics were prescribed in 62% of episodes.
- Typical long-acting antipsychotic therapies (LATs) were used in 19% of episodes.
- Treatment persistence was greatest with clozapine and atypical LATs.
Conclusions:
- Atypical oral antipsychotics are widely used, but typical LATs remain prevalent.
- Patient age and treatment duration may influence antipsychotic choice.
- Atypical LAT therapy demonstrates superior persistence compared to other modalities in this cohort.
Keywords:
Clinical guidelinesLong-acting antipsychotic(s)Oral antipsychotic(s)PersistencePrescribing patternsSchizophreniaTherapeutic relationshipMore Related Videos
07:31Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack
Published on: May 15, 2020
7.2K
10:46A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
10.8K
Related Concept Videos
01:28Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
509
The term "psychosis" refers to a spectrum of mental disorders characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can manifest as mood disorders, dementia, delirium with psychotic features, substance-induced psychosis with psychotic features, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. Among all these disorders, schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting 1% of the worldwide population. Psychotic...
509
01:26Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
236
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.
236
01:28Drug Therapy
111
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
111
01:21Antipsychotic Drugs: Typical and Atypical Agents
387
Antipsychotic drugs are classified into first-generation (typical) drugs including phenothiazines; and second-generation (atypical) drugs. Chlorpromazine hydrochloride (Thorazine), a phenothiazine derivative, broadly impacts the central, autonomic, and endocrine systems. This drug, along with typical agents like haloperidol (Haldol), primarily works by antagonizing D2 receptors, thus reducing dopaminergic neurotransmission. However, typical antipsychotics can cause side effects such as sedation...
387
01:21Antipsychotic Drugs: Therapeutic Uses and Side Effects
423
Antipsychotic drugs primarily block dopamine and serotonin receptors and cholinergic, adrenergic, and histaminergic receptors, thereby reducing hallucinations and delusions in conditions like schizophrenia. However, they can trigger unwanted extrapyramidal effects such as dystonias, Parkinson-like symptoms, and tardive dyskinesia.
Despite these side effects, antipsychotics are used therapeutically for various purposes, including managing schizophrenia, preventing nausea and vomiting, curbing...
Despite these side effects, antipsychotics are used therapeutically for various purposes, including managing schizophrenia, preventing nausea and vomiting, curbing...
423
01:23Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents
405
Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...
405