Section of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Wellesley Street, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2009 Dec;43(12):1131-40. doi: 10.3109/00048670903279879.
The aim of the present study was to explore antidepressant dispensing trends in New Zealand over a 3 year period (2004-2007) with a focus on trends by age, gender, ethnicity, District Health Board and type of antidepressant.
Prevalence of antidepressant agents dispensed in the years ending June 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 was calculated separately for the population aged 15-24, 24-44, 45-64 and 65-100 years, (> =65) by gender. The f rst occurrence of antidepressant dispensing for each individual in each year was extracted to calculate age-specific antidepressant dispensing rates standardized to the 2006 Census population for the New Zealand European/Other (NZEO) ethnic group.
The 12 month prevalence of antidepressant dispensing among the total population aged 15-100 years increased from 7.36% in 2004-2005 to 8.21% in 2005-2006 and to 9.39% in 2006-2007 Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) accounted for >90% of all antidepressants dispensed each year. SSRIs were more frequently prescribed to young adults (15-24 years) than TCAs, although this relation changed with increasing age. In women aged > =65, TCAs were more commonly dispensed than SSRIs, while among men in the same age group, dispensing patterns were similar for both agents. Age-specific dispensing rates were higher among female than male subjects, and the NZEO combined populations were dispensed significantly more antidepressant agents than Māori or Pacific peoples. Considerable regional variations in antidepressant dispensing were found by ethnicity and gender.
There are considerable variations in antidepressant dispensing in NZ, and the rate of dispensing has increased over the 3 years of the present study. Further work is required to investigate the different rates of antidepressant dispensing found between ethnic groups. Depression is strongly associated with suicide and the trend of increased dispensing of antidepressants found in the present study should continue to have a positive effect on suicide rates in NZ.
本研究旨在探讨新西兰三年内（2004-2007 年）抗抑郁药配药趋势，重点关注按年龄、性别、种族、地区卫生局和抗抑郁药类型划分的趋势。
分别计算 2004-2005 年、2005-2006 年和 2006-2007 年结束的 6 月，15-24 岁、24-44 岁、45-64 岁和 65-100 岁（> =65 岁）人群中抗抑郁药的流行率。从每年每位患者的首次抗抑郁药配药中提取数据，以计算新西兰欧洲/其他（NZEO）族裔标准化到 2006 年人口普查的年龄特异性抗抑郁药配药率。
15-100 岁总人口中 12 个月抗抑郁药配药率从 2004-2005 年的 7.36%上升到 2005-2006 年的 8.21%，再到 2006-2007 年的 9.39%。选择性 5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂（SSRI）和三环抗抑郁药（TCA）每年占所有抗抑郁药配药的 90%以上。与 TCA 相比，SSRI 更常开给年轻成年人（15-24 岁），但随着年龄的增长，这种关系发生了变化。在 > =65 岁的女性中，TCAs 的配药量多于 SSRIs，而在同一年龄组的男性中，两种药物的配药模式相似。特定年龄的配药率在女性中高于男性，且 NZEO 混合人群抗抑郁药配药量明显高于毛利人或太平洋人。按种族和性别划分，抗抑郁药的配药存在相当大的差异。
新西兰的抗抑郁药配药存在相当大的差异，本研究 3 年来配药率有所上升。需要进一步研究不同种族之间抗抑郁药配药率的差异。抑郁症与自杀密切相关，本研究发现的抗抑郁药配药增加趋势应继续对新西兰的自杀率产生积极影响。
