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The incidence of antidepressant use was higher in persons with AD than in comparison persons, and it was not explained by history of hospital-treated psychiatric disorders. Widespread use of antidepressants in persons with AD is concerning as their efficacy is controversial and their use is associated with adverse events. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Purpose Antipsychotics are first-line treatment of schizophrenia. They are often accompanied by adjunctive treatments, such as antidepressant (AD) or mood stabilizer (MS), although there is only limited information of their use in first-episode schizophrenia. This study aimed to investigate AD and MS initiation and factors associated with initiation in persons with first-episode schizophrenia. Methods Register-based data was utilized to identify persons who received inpatient care due to schizophrenia during 1996-2014 in Finland and who did not use AD or MS at the time of first inpatient care diagnosis of schizophrenia (N = 7667, mean age 40.2, SD 18.2). Drug purchase data (1995-2017) was obtained from the National Prescription register and modelled with PRE2DUP method. Initiations of AD and MS use were followed up 3 years from first schizophrenia diagnoses. Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate factors associated with AD or MS initiation. Results Among persons with first-episode schizophrenia, 35.4% initiated AD and 14.1% initiated MS use within three years from diagnoses. Female gender, younger age, and benzodiazepine use were associated with higher risk of AD and MS initiation. The number of previous psychoses was associated with decreased risk of AD and increased risk of MS initiation. Conclusion Clinical guidelines rarely recommend the use of AD or MS as adjunctive treatment in persons with schizophrenia. However, this population is often treated with AD or MS. More studies are needed to evaluate benefits and risks of these medications as adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia.