Impact of the Canterbury earthquakes on dispensing of psychiatric medication for children and adolescents: longitudinal quantitative study
- 1 March 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Royal College of Psychiatrists in The British Journal of Psychiatry
- Vol. 216 (3), 151-155
- https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2019.273
Abstract
Background Natural disasters are increasing in frequency and impact; they cause widespread disruption and adversity throughout the world. The Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-2011 were devastating for the people of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is important to understand the impact of this disaster on the mental health of children and adolescents. Aims To report psychiatric medication use for children and adolescents following the Canterbury earthquakes. Method Dispensing data from community pharmacies for the medication classes antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, sedatives/hypnotics and methylphenidate are routinely recorded in a national database. Longitudinal data are available for residents of the Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) and nationally. We compared dispensing data for children and adolescents residing in Canterbury DHB with national dispensing data to assess the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes on psychotropic prescribing for children and adolescents. Results After longer-term trends and population adjustments are considered, a subtle adverse effect of the Canterbury earthquakes on dispensing of antidepressants was detected. However, the Canterbury earthquakes were not associated with higher dispensing rates for antipsychotics, anxiolytics, sedatives/hypnotics or methylphenidate. Conclusions Mental disorders or psychological distress of a sufficient severity to result in treatment of children and adolescents with psychiatric medication were not substantially affected by the Canterbury earthquakes.Keywords
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- Psychological distress and psychiatric disorder after natural disasters: systematic review and meta-analysisThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 2018
- Mental Health Consequences of DisastersAnnual Review of Public Health, 2014
- Prevalence and trajectory of psychopathology among child and adolescent survivors of disasters: a systematic review of epidemiological studies across 1987–2011Social psychiatry. Sozialpsychiatrie. Psychiatrie sociale, 2013
- Medical complications associated with earthquakesThe Lancet, 2012
- Parental adjustment, family functioning, and posttraumatic growth among Norwegian children and adolescents following a natural disaster.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2010
- 60,000 Disaster Victims Speak: Part I. An Empirical Review of the Empirical Literature, 1981–2001Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes, 2002
- Review of Psychiatric Epidemiologic Research on DisastersEpidemiologic Reviews, 1995
- Part 1: Children's Psychological Responses to DisastersJournal of Clinical Child Psychology, 1993
- Psychological impairment in the wake of disaster: The disaster–psychopathology relationship.Psychological Bulletin, 1991
- The Emotional Effects of Disaster on Children: A Review of the LiteratureInternational Journal of Mental Health, 1990