Analysis of Antidepressant Prescribing Patterns in Northern Ireland
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Analysis of Antidepressant Prescribing Patterns in Northern Ireland
IRAS ID
167452
Contact name
Elaine Murray
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Ulster Univerity
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
014/15, HBS application Reference
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Depression is the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder, affecting 350 million people worldwide, and the number is rising. Depression is a life threatening disorder, characterised by a range of symptoms; including a persistent low mood, inability to experience pleasure, disturbed sleep and energy, and in severe cases, suicidal thoughts.
Despite its prevalence, the pathology of depression is poorly understood, and multiple factors interact to cause biological changes that impact behavior. The treatment of depression also depicts a complicated picture, the primary approach is antidepressant medication, but over 30 different kinds of antidepressants are currently available. There is significant variation both within GP prescribing patterns and individual response; generally only a third of patients no longer have symptoms of depression after their first prescription, and up to a third of patients with depression do not respond to multiple antidepressant treatments.
There is currently very little known about which specific antidepressant is the most effective for individual patients, and there is no way to determine how someone with depression will respond to treatment. Doctors are forced to use a trial and error based approach to find a successful antidepressant. Given the high prevalence and debilitating symptoms of depression there is an urgent clinical need to develop a clinical diagnostic test to predict which antidepressant will be the most effective for an individual, which will improve the time between diagnosis and effect treatment outcome.
In order to comprehensively and reliably investigate the outcomes of antidepressant treatment, at individual level, it is vital to have an up-to-date, and representative account of commonly prescribed antidepressants and an awareness of demographic and social influences on both prescribing patterns, and response to treatment. To do this, the Honest Broker Service (HBS) will be consulted on available data on antidepressant prescribing in Northern Ireland.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/YH/0065
Date of REC Opinion
17 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion