Finding accredited CPD
Around one in seven Australians is now taking antidepressants (3.9 million people, 14%), and the prevalence of use is rising. Two antidepressants, sertraline and escitalopram, are now in the top ten drugs by defined daily dose per 1000 population per day. In Australia, women are prescribed antidepressants at 1.5 times the rate of men, and older people (aged ≥ 65 years) are twice as likely to be prescribed antidepressants as younger people (aged < 65 years). Around 26% of people aged 75 years or older are taking antidepressants. Most psychological distress or mental illness is managed in primary care, and antidepressant prescribing is overwhelmingly in primary care, with general practitioners prescribing 92% of antidepressants in Australia.
This MJA Perspective shares more.
Authors: Katharine A Wallis, Anna King and Joanna Moncrieff
Article Type: Perspective
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*Medical Board of Australia’s (MBA)’s revised Registration Standard: Continuing professional development (the Standard)
