Abstract
(1) Background: Mental disorders are a growing concern in the 21st century. The most prevalent common mental disorders include depression and anxiety. It is predicted that half of the population will at some point in their lives experience one or more mental disorders. Although common mental disorders are highly prevalent, some of the most significant related problems are the wide treatment gap and the excessive use of antidepressants, anxiolytics and sedatives/hypnotics, especially among older patients. (2) Methods: This study aimed to analyze mental health care in Portugal, with a focus on the consumption of antidepressants, anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics among older patients. (3) Results: The use of antidepressants, anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics has increased overall across Europe. In Portugal, a downward trend of sedatives and hypnotics consumption can be observed. Anxiolytics and antidepressants, on the other hand, have been increasing. Patients aged ≥60 years old consume more than half of the aforementioned drugs. (4) Conclusions: Mental health policies should be designed to improve the conscientious use of antidepressants, anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics, particularly among older adults.
Highlights
Mental health has been a major concern in the 21st century
(4) Conclusions: Mental health policies should be designed to improve the conscientious use of antidepressants, anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics, among older adults
Considering that anxiolytics and antidepressants are highlighted as some of the most frequent prescribed drugs for older patients and that there is currently no evidence that shows a reduction of this consumption patterns [16,18], the current study aims to critically evaluate the mental health care framework, providing an analysis confronting both mental health policies and drug consumption in Portugal
Summary
Mental health has been a major concern in the 21st century. Mental health-related disorders are the non-fatal disorders with the greatest impact globally, accounting for more than 7% of the global burden of disease, and one-third of the burden of disease in Europe [1]. Despite the increasing attention paid to global mental health in recent years, along with the publication of guidelines [2,3]. The economic impact is severe: it is estimated that a loss of 16 trillion US$ caused by mental disorders is faced by the global economy when considering the productivity losses throughout the course of lives and the early onset of mental health disorders [5]. Public Health 2020, 17, 8612; doi:10.3390/ijerph17228612 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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