Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Sep;8(3):234-44.
doi: 10.4306/pi.2011.8.3.234. Epub 2011 Aug 26.

Antidepressant prescribing patterns in Korea: results from the clinical research center for depression study

Kyung-Yeol Bae  1 , Sung-Wan Kim, Jae-Min Kim, Il-Seon Shin, Jin-Sang Yoon, Sung-Won Jung, Min-Soo Lee, Hyeon-Woo Yim, Tae-Youn Jun
Affiliations

Antidepressant prescribing patterns in Korea: results from the clinical research center for depression study

Kyung-Yeol Bae et al. Psychiatry Investig. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate antidepressant prescribing patterns, including initial choice, switching and combining, and concomitant use of non-antidepressant agents, for depressive disorders in naturalistic clinical care settings in Korea.

Methods: Patients with depressive disorder were recruited from both outpatient and inpatient settings in 18 hospitals from all over Korea. Treatment was performed in naturalistic patterns based on each clinician's decision. Data were collected on the prescription of antidepressants and concomitant agents from baseline to 12-week follow-up.

Results: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most commonly prescribed initial antidepressant (48.9%), followed by newer dual-action antidepressants (45.8%). When an SSRI was the initial antidepressant, 46.2% of patients whose medication was changed were moved to newer dual-action antidepressants, and 67.4% of combination cases were combined with newer dual-action ones. When a newer dual-action antidepressant was the initial antidepressant, 70.6% of patients whose medication was changed were moved to SSRIs, and other antidepressants including tricyclic antidepressants were most commonly added for combination treatment (50% of combination cases). During the treatment period, 20.6% of antidepressants prescribed were augmented by non-antidepressant agents, and 75.1% were used concomitantly with anxiolytics or hypnotics. The most commonly used concomitant non-antidepressant agent was quetiapine.

Conclusion: The selection of antidepressants and the concomitant use of non-antidepressant agents are becoming increasingly diversified, and the results of this study reflect changes in the prescribing pattern in actual Korean practices.

Keywords: Antidepressive agents; CRESCEND; Depression; Korea; Prescriptions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The prescribing pattern of antidepressants as first-line treatment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The switching pattern from the initial antidepressant to another one.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The pattern of combination antidepressant treatment according to the initial antidepressant.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The concomitant use of non-antidepressant agents including anxiolytics/hypnotics according to the initial antidepressant. Augmentation agents include antipsychotics, lithium, and anticonvulsants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Zhao S, Nelson CB, Hughes M, Eshleman S, et al. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States. Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1994;51:8–19. - PubMed
    1. Wells KB, Sherbourne CD. Functioning and utility for current health of patients with depression or chronic medical conditions in managed, primary care practices. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1999;56:897–904. - PubMed
    1. Hirschfeld RM, Montgomery SA, Keller MB, Kasper S, Schatzberg AF, Möller HJ, et al. Social functioning in depression: a review. J Clin Psychiatry. 2000;61:268–275. - PubMed
    1. Kim JM, Stewart R, Kim SW, Yang SJ, Shin IS, Kim YH, et al. Interactions between life stressors and susceptibility genes (5-HTTLPR and BDNF) on depression in Korean elders. Biol Psychiatry. 2007;62:423–428. - PubMed
    1. Lawrenson RA, Tyrer F, Newson RB, Farmer RD. The treatment of depression in UK general practice: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants compared. J Affect Disord. 2000;59:149–157. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources