Mental health drugs overused - U.K. Healthcare Commission Report

[Micklemouse]

From The BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6256185.stm

Last Updated: Friday, 12 January 2007, 16:11 GMT



Mental health drugs overused

Medicines for mental health patients must be better managed

Up to one in three mental health patients are being over-prescribed drugs, says the Healthcare Commission. A report found mental health patients were more likely to have problems with medicines than those in other trusts.
The healthcare watchdog said management of mental healthcare patients' medicines must improve, and pharmacists should be involved in patient care.
It said the findings were "concerning" given the importance of medicines in mental healthcare.
The Healthcare Commission has once again highlighted a shocking over-prescription of powerful medicines to people in hospital experiencing a mental health crisis


Paul Jenkins
Rethink


Healthcare Commission Chief Executive Anna Walker said: "Managing medicines safely, effectively and efficiently is central to the delivery of high quality care that is focused on the patient and gives value for money."
She called on both primary care trusts and mental health trusts to look at their medicines management, and said patients in mental health trusts had told the Commission that they had not been involved as much as they would like in decisions about their medicines.
She said: "This needs to be addressed if trusts expect service users to take their medicines as prescribed."
Over-prescription
In research undertaken by the Prescribing Observatory for Mental Health, 36% of people were found to have been prescribed more than the maximum recommended dose of anti-psychotic medicines.
Mental health charity Rethink called for an end to the over-prescription of mental health medicines.
The charity's chief executive Paul Jenkins said: "The Healthcare Commission has once again highlighted a shocking over-prescription of powerful medicines to people in hospital experiencing a mental health crisis.
"As well as defying national guidance, this over-prescription actually delays successful discharge in many cases.
"Everyone has the right to the best evidence-based care, but it is unacceptable that people experiencing a mental health crisis can still be treated as second class citizens."
Reviews helpful
The Commission said the problem could be detected by an effective clinical pharmacy service.
It found that reviewing medication benefited patients, with 70% of reviews in mental health trusts leading to a change in a person's medicine, and 46% of those reviewed being found not to be taking their medicines appropriately.
David Pruce, Director of Practice and Quality Improvement from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain said: "The evidence shows that medication reviews in mental health by specialist pharmacists can have a major impact, with over 70% of the reviews leading to a change in the patient's medication."
Yet 24% of wards in mental health trusts received no visits from pharmacy staff, compared to only 14% in acute trusts, and just 14% received more than five hours of pharmacy staff time in a week, compared to 64% in acute trusts.
Mr Pruce said: "The future should see specialist mental health pharmacists having an increased role in the care of patients."
Not complacent
National Clinical Director for Mental Health, Professor Louis Appleby said: "We recognise that the safe and effective management of medicines is central to the delivery of high quality patient care.
"This report will help services address a very important issue and ensure that patients are fully involved in decisions about - and get the most from - their medicines.
"We are not complacent and more work is needed to ensure that all Trusts reach the standards of the best."

[Micklemouse]

From Rethink

http://www.rethink.org/how_we_can_he...escribing.html

Over-prescribing of psychiatric medicines in hospitals must stop


12 January 2007
Leading mental health charity Rethink today (January 12) called for an end to the shameful practice of over-prescribing of mental health medicines, following the publication of a Healthcare Commission report into medicines management.

The Healthcare Commission has published a national report on medicines management that finds up to one in three people in hospital are prescribed more than maximum recommended doses. Forty two (out of 83) mental health trusts volunteered to take part in this review.

Rethink’s chief executive Paul Jenkins said: “The Healthcare Commission has once again highlighted a shocking over-prescription of powerful medicines to people in hospital experiencing a mental health crisis.

“Up to one in three people are being prescribed above maximum recommended doses of medicines that can have serious and long-term side effects. As well as defying national guidance, this over-prescription actually delays successful discharge in many cases.

“The National Institute for Clinical Excellence issued statutory guidance as long ago as 2002 on the best use of medicines for the treatment of schizophrenia. It is shameful that so many trusts have failed to properly implement it four years on. Everyone has the right to the best evidence-based care, but it is unacceptable that people experiencing a mental health crisis can still be treated as second class citizens.”

[Nagognog2]

Such is what amazes me when I hear people wondering how much of one of these molecules would be a good high. Good Gravy!

[Alicia]

Originally Posted by Nagognog2

Such is what amazes me when I hear people wondering how much of one of these molecules would be a good high. Good Gravy!

^^^
Yes, tis very surprising, the only good high those medications can cause are of the benzo's class and she would not recommend them. Psychiatrists in general are very good with "creative writing" when trying to describe people too, still its ment to make u feel better right.. lol

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"Everyone has the right to the best evidence-based care, but it is unacceptable that people experiencing a mental health crisis can still be treated as second class citizens.”

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Lol.. yeh funny thing that.. Strange how people change when it suddenly happens to you. although nothing new for swia. She herself wonders why some people were put on so many different meds in the first place and as a result had to stay longer due complications from a result from there medication.

[Nagognog2]

"Oh baby! Let's do some perchlorphenazine for a month and get ripped! We can get some Fluoxetine from Tina, too. Then when our legs swell up big as a phone-booth, we can party at the All-Night Junior High Dance and win the prize! Isn't it cool this stuff is easy to score?" <gulp!>

[Alicia]

^^^

Lol,yeh she reminds me of swia when was away in that place.although its not like that anymore... More prozac nurse ratchett.

[mickenator]

Swim was perscribed Olanzapine without being told of the side-eefects even though swims Dr knew swim drove for a living and low and behold after about 6 months of this medication swim had a seizure behind the wheel of swims company van and had a bad crash, then a month later swim had another seizure cuased by the same drug luckily this time swim was not driving. When it came to find out what had caused the seizures it was the Olanzapine and not Epilepsy or any other abnormallity. Swim has had no other seizures for 9 months since coming of this medication. It would have been nice for someone to discuss these kind of things with us. We maybe abit crazy but we aren't STUPID.