Results
Psychotropic drug use and sociodemographic
characteristics
Prevalence of psychotropic drug use
Weighted average prevalence rates of psychotropic drug
use were estimated from all reports having collected data
from probability samples or entire populations (n = 22).
In longitudinal studies, data from the last year of the study
were used. Average prevalence of any psychotropic drug
use from 9 studies was 29.0% (range 11.8% – 42.5%). For
drugs identified in the reports as benzodiazepines, minor
tranquilizers, anxiolytics, or sedative-hypnotics, the average
prevalence in 13 studies was 21.5% (range 6% –
43.8%). In 11 studies with data on antidepressants, the
average prevalence was 6.9% (range 2.3% – 14%). Finally,
for neuroleptics, it was 3.1% (6 studies, range 1% to 6%).