Prescribing patterns in an outpatient psychiatric clinic.

Prescribing patterns were studied in a psychiatric outpatient clinic. Psychiatrists tended to prescribe large quantities of antidepressants or other drugs. In contrast, the daily doses for antidepressants and neuroleptics were often too low. Significant variations were noted between three outpatient clinics in the choices among a various psychotropic drugs from a given therapeutic group.