Clinical and social correlates with the use of depot antipsychotic drugs in outpatients with schizophrenia in China

Abstract

To date, no study has investigated the use of depot antipsychotic medication (DA) in Chinese outpatients with schizophrenia. This study explored the frequency and sociodemographic and clinical correlates of DA in schizophrenia outpatients in both Hong Kong (HK) and Beijing (BJ), China. 505 clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia were randomly selected and interviewed in HK and BJ using standardized assessment instruments. Their basic sociodemographic and clinical data and psychotropic drug prescriptions were collected at the time of a diagnostic interview. 117 (23.2%) patients were prescribed DA, 36.1 and 10% of the HK and BJ samples, respectively. Prescription of DA was associated with a history of suicide, less use of clozapine, more frequent antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP), more frequent admissions, and study site (HK vs. BJ). In multiple logistic regression analysis, study site, less frequent prescription of clozapine, history of suicide, and more frequent use of APP remained significantly associated with DA. There was wide variation in the frequency of DA prescribing between HK and BJ even though the ethnic and clinical characteristics of the two samples were nearly identical. This suggests that sociocultural and economic factors, as well as traditions in psychiatric training and practice all played a role in determining the use of DA.