§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued in 2001–02 for medicines used to treat mental illness. [68052]
§ Jacqui SmithThe number of prescription items dispensed in the community in England for the treatment of mental illness during the financial year ending 31 March 2002 is given in the table.
928WInformation about the diagnosis for which the drugs were prescribed is not available. Drugs used to treat mental illness have therefore been defined as those within British National Formulary paragraphs Hypnotics and anxiolytics (4.1), Drugs used in psychoses and related disorders ( 4.2) and Antidepressant drugs ( 4.3).
Prescription items dispensed in the community for treatment of mental illness, for the year ending 31 March 2002 England BNF description Prescription items (thousands) 1 April 2001–31 March 2002 4.1 Hypnotics and anxiolytics 16,687 4.1.1 Hypnotics 10,646 Benzodiazepine 6,643 Chloral and derivative 165 Other hypnotics 3,838 4.1.2 Anxiolytics 5,989 Benzodiazepine 5,873 Other anxiolytics 116 4.1.3 Barbiturates 52 4.2 Drugs used in psychoses and related disorders 5,680 4.2.1 Antipsychotic drugs 4,722 Atypical Antipsychotics 1.998 Other 2,724 4.2.2 Antipsychotic depot injections 199 4.2.3 Antimanic drugs 759 4.3 Antidepressant drugs 24,787 4.3.1 Tricyclic and related antidepressant drugs 9,770 Tricyclic antidepressants 9,241 Related antidepressants 529 4.3.2 Monoamine-oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) 91 4.3.3 SSRIs 12.399 4.3.4 Other antidepressant drugs 2.528 Notes:
1. The therapeutic classifications are based on British National Formulary. Number 42 (September 2001).
2. These data are based on items dispensed by community pharmacists, appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered. The data are from the Prescription Cost Analysis system.