Skip to main content
Log in

A community survey of psychotropic drug consumption in South Verona: prevalence and associated variables

  • Published:
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

A cross-sectional community survey was undertaken to investigate the pattern of psychotropic drug consumption in 453 community residents of South Verona. Overall, 15.0% of the subjects were taking psychotropics (benzodiazepines 13.5%, antidepressants 2.2%, neuroleptics 1.1%). Prevalence was higher in females (20.0%), in those over 45 years (25%), in high General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) scorers (26.2%), and in subjects with physical ill-health (27.0%), with social problems (20.0%), with distressing events (22.0%) and with alcohol abuse (32.3%). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, sex, GHQ score, physical ill-health and life events were all significantly and independently associated with psychotropic drug consumption.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Balter MB, Levine J, Manheimer DI (1974) Cross-national study of the extent of anxiety/sedative drug use. N Engl J Med 290:769–774

    Google Scholar 

  • Baratta S, Colorio C, Zimmermann-Tansella Ch (1985) Inter-rater reliability of the Italian version of the Paykel Scale of Stressful Life-Events. J Affective Disord 8:279–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellantuono C, Reggi V, Tognoni G, Muscettola G (1981) Comparison of practice in hospital and community mental health centers. In: Tognoni G, Bellantuono C, Lader M (eds) Epidemiological impact of psychotropic drugs. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 171–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellantuono C, Arreghini E, Adami M, Bodini F, Gastaldo M, Micciolo R (1989) Psychotropic drug prescription in Italy. A survey in general practice. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 24:212–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Belloc NB, Breslow L, Hochstim JR (1971) Measurement of physical health in a general population survey. Am J Epidemiol 93: 328–336

    Google Scholar 

  • Catalan J, Gath DH, Bond A, Edmonds G, Martin P, Ennis J (1988) General practice patients on long-term psychotropic drugs. A controlled investigation. Br J Psychiatry 152:399–405

    Google Scholar 

  • Corney RH, Clare AW (1985) The construction, development and testing of a self-report questionnaire to identify social problems. Psychol Med 15:637–649

    Google Scholar 

  • Graig TS, van Natta PA (1978) Current medication use and symptoms of depression in a general population. Am J Psychiatry 135: 1036–1039

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabe J, Williams P (1986) Rural tranquility? Urban-rural differences in tranquilizer prescribing. Soc Sci Med 22:1065–1066

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallimberti L (1982) Uso adeguato e inadeguato degli alcolici. In: Patologia e Problemi Connessi all'Uso Inadeguato di Alcolici Quad Ed Sanit. Giunta Regionale Veneto, Padova, pp 73–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg D (1972) The detection of psychiatric illness by question naire. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg D, Huxley P (1991) Common mental disorders. Tavistock, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Golombok S, Moodley P, Lader M (1988) Cognitive impairment in long-term benzodiazepine users. Psychol Med 18:365–374

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones L, Simpson D, Brown AC, Bainton D, McDonald H (1984) Prescribing psychotropic drugs in general practice: three year study. BMJ 289:1045–1048

    Google Scholar 

  • Kales A, Schare MB, Kales JD (1978) Rebound insomnia: a new clinical syndrome. Science 201:1039–1042

    Google Scholar 

  • Lattanzi M, Galvan U, Rizzetto A, Gavioli I, Zimmermann-Tansella Ch (1988) Estimating psychiatric morbidity in the community. Standardization of the Italian version of GHQ and CIS. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 23:267–272

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis J, Pelosi AJ (1990) The case-control study in psychiatry. Br J Psychiatry 157:197–202

    Google Scholar 

  • Mant A, Broom DH, Duncan Jones P (1983) The path to prescription: sex differences in psychotropic drug prescribing for general practice patients. Soc Psychiatry 18:185–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Mellinger GD, Balter MB, Manheimer DE, Cisin IH, Parry HJ (1978) Psychiatric distress, life crisis, and use of psychoterapeutic medications. Arch Gen Psychiatry 35:1045–1052

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray Y, Dunn G, Williams P, Tarnopolsky A (1981) Factors affecting the consumption of psychotropic drugs. Psychol Med 11:551–560

    Google Scholar 

  • Ormel J, van den Brink W, Koeter MW, Giel R, van der Meer K, van de Willige G, Wilmink FW (1990) Recognition, management and outcome of psychological disorders in primary care: a naturalistic follow-up study. Psychol Med 20:909–923

    Google Scholar 

  • Payne CD (1986) The GLIM System Release 3.77 Manual. Generalized linear interactive modelling. Royal Statistical Society, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Petursson H, Lader MH (1981) Withdrawal from long-term benzodiazepine treatment. Br Med J 283:643–645

    Google Scholar 

  • Siciliani O, Bellantuono C, Williams P, Tansella M (1985) Self-reported use of psychotropic drugs and alcohol abuse in South-Verona. Psychol Med 15:821–826

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyrer P (1988) Prescribing psychotropic drugs in general practice. BMJ 296:588–589

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasquez-Barquero JL, Diez Manrique JL, Pena C, Arenal Gonzales A, Cuesta MJ, Artal JA, (1989) Patterns of psychotropic drug use in a Spanish rural community. Br J Psychiatry 155:633–641

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyerer S, Dilling S (1991) Psychiatric and physical illness, sociodemographic characteristics, and the use of psychotropic drugs in the community: results from the upper Bavarian field study. J Clin Epidemiol 44:303–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams P (1979) The extent of psychotropic drug prescription. In: Williams P, Clare A (eds) Psychosocial disorders in general practice. Academic Press, London, pp 151–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams P, Murray J, Clare A (1982) A longitudinal study of psychotropic drug prescription. Psychol Med 12:201–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmermann-Tansella C, Donini S, Ciommei AM, Siciliani O (1988) Social factors associated with the use of psychotropic drugs: alcohol abuse and minor psychiatric morbidity in the community. Acta Psychiatr Scand 77:14–21

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Turrina, C., Zimmermann-Tansella, C., Micciolo, R. et al. A community survey of psychotropic drug consumption in South Verona: prevalence and associated variables. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 28, 40–44 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00797832

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00797832

Keywords

Navigation