Emergency Department Visits by Adults for Psychiatric Medication Adverse Events

Abstract

In 2011, an estimated 26.8 million US adults, 11.5% of the adult population, used prescription medications to treat mental illness.¹ Psychiatric medications, namely, antidepressants, antipsychotics, lithium salts, sedatives and anxiolytics, and stimulants, have an important role in the management of mental illness,² but they can also cause significant adverse effects.^3-6 Given the wide range of treatments available for multiple mental illnesses,^7-9 providers must weigh the benefits and risks of psychiatric medications in deciding whether to prescribe one and, if so, which one.