Prescriptions of psychopharmacologic drugs in Austria in 2019 and 2020 – Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Measures to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have an impact on the mental health of the general population. Drug prescription rates can be used as a surrogate marker to estimate help seeking and health parameters of a population. The aim of this study was to compare psychopharmacologic drug prescriptions in Austria from the start of the pandemic in 2020 over time and with the previous year and to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.Methods: Data of the three largest public health insurances in Austria, covering over 98% of the general population, were analyzed. 1 365 294 patients with a prescription of a psychopharmacologic drug in the months March to December in 2019 and 2020 were selected.Results: There was no significant change in prescribed DDD (defined daily doses) during the lockdowns. However, there was a stockpiling effect before and at the beginning of lockdown 1. The number of new patients initiating psychopharmacologic treatment was significantly reduced during lockdown 1 but not during lockdown 2. Conclusions:The first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 functioned as a barrier for new psychiatric patients seeking help, while patients with ongoing treatments did not have significant problems. These results have to be taken into account for future planning, but follow-up studies are needed, as our results could be indicative of a change in the effect of the protective measures on the utilization of the healthcare system over time.

The impact of the CoVid-19 pandemic on rates of adolescents receiving psychopharmacological medication in Austria

“…This might be explained by differences in availability of mental health practicioners, different CoVid-19 restrictions and also different time frames of the respective analyses. In a recent study (Winkler et al, 2022) using the same data source as in our study (although with a shorter observed time frame limited to 2020) no signi cant changes in de ned daily doses of psychopharmacologic drugs above all age groups was observed in a comparison between 2019 and 2020, Differences to our results are likely due to different measurement units (prescriptions vs. patient rates) and, more importantly, different time intervals used in the study. While this study observed cumulative effects over six quarters, the study by Winkler et al, (2022) focused on medication descriptions during the times of national lockdowns in 2020.…”

“…In a recent study (Winkler et al, 2022) using the same data source as in our study (although with a shorter observed time frame limited to 2020) no signi cant changes in de ned daily doses of psychopharmacologic drugs above all age groups was observed in a comparison between 2019 and 2020, Differences to our results are likely due to different measurement units (prescriptions vs. patient rates) and, more importantly, different time intervals used in the study. While this study observed cumulative effects over six quarters, the study by Winkler et al, (2022) focused on medication descriptions during the times of national lockdowns in 2020. Nevertheless, it has to be noted that in the study by Winkler et al, 2022 the age group of 10-20 year olds showed the largest percental increase in psychopharmacological prescriptions among all age groups as well.…”

“…While this study observed cumulative effects over six quarters, the study by Winkler et al, (2022) focused on medication descriptions during the times of national lockdowns in 2020. Nevertheless, it has to be noted that in the study by Winkler et al, 2022 the age group of 10-20 year olds showed the largest percental increase in psychopharmacological prescriptions among all age groups as well.…”

“…In a recent online survey using the same methodology with data collecting September to November 2021, rates of mental health problems in Austrian adolescents were still high with 58% reporting depressive and 46% reporting anxiety symptoms despite the termination of most CoVid-19 associated lockdown measures (Dale et al, 2022). A recent study on the general population conducted with Austrian social insurance data focused on prescriptions in 2020 and found no signi cant increase in psychopharmacological prescriptions during the rst lockdowns in 2020 (Winkler et al, 2022).…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of adolescents receiving psychopharmacological medication in Austria

“…Only a small number of studies have explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of prescription of psychotropic drugs. A recent study of the general population conducted using Austrian social insurance data focused on prescriptions in 2020, and found no significant increase in psychopharmacological prescriptions during the first lockdowns in 2020 [ 40 ]. By contrast, focusing on a younger age population, a Danish nationwide cohort study of 5–24 year-old patients reported an increase in incident use of psychopharmacological interventions, which was especially pronounced in the age group between 12 and 17 years [ 3 ].…”