Mental Health and the Use of Antipsychotic Drugs in the Practice of Psycho-Medical Support of Outpatients in Azerbaijan

Introduction. Antipsychotic drugs are widely used in treating mental disorders during acute psychotic episodes, as well as in the maintenance therapy. In this regard, adherence of drug treatment to the principles of rational use of medications is an important requirement for prescribing antipsychotics. Despite the urgency of the matter, by now no studies have addressed the issues of prescribing psychotropic drugs for outpatients in Azerbaijan. The purpose of the study is to investigate the practice of using antipsychotic drugs for outpatients and factors for the choice of the medication dose and the use of polypharmacotherapy. Methods. In total, 253 patients with various mental disorders receiving outpatient treatment at the Mental Health Center took part in this study. The authors analyzed their sociodemographic characteristics, clinical data, and information on the prescribed treatment. Results. Neither sociodemographic nor clinical factors had a significant influence on the choice of drugs. The vast majority of outpatients received therapy with atypical antipsychotics, where risperidone was the most frequently prescribed. The doses were generally lower than those recommended in the official guidelines; only 3.2 % of patients were treated with relatively high doses. Higher doses of drugs were prescribed to the patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and associated with the use of polypharmacotherapy. In turn, psychopharmacotherapy was associated with the use of traditional neuroleptics. Discussion. The results suggest that the treatment in the outpatient care system provides great opportunities for the rational use of antipsychotic drugs and can largely personalize pharmacotherapy.