Huang, Caige;
Yang, Yu;
Wei, Yue;
Yan, Vincent KC;
Lee, Kyung Jin;
Leung, Shek Ming;
Lai, Francisco TT;
... Chan, Esther WY; + view all
(2025)
Psychotropic medication consumption before and after onset of COVID-19 pandemic in 91 countries and regions: a time-series analysis.
The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific
, 64
, Article 101711. 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101711.
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Abstract
Summary Background The availability of psychotropic medications serves as a key indicator of global mental health status, underscoring the critical importance of continued monitoring. However, comprehensive studies assessing the global effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on such trends remain lacking. This study aimed to describe psychotropic consumption trends before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate the pandemic's short- and long-term effects on psychotropic consumption across 91 countries and regions. Methods This study used country-level sales data of psychotropic medications between Q1, 2012, and Q2, 2023 of 91 countries and regions from the IQVIA-Multinational Integrated Data Analysis System. Average annual sales trends were estimated and expressed as defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day (DDD/TID) at the overall level and stratified by medication class and country income level. Relative average annual changes were assessed for the periods 2017–2019 and 2020–2022 both overall and within specific medication classes and income groups. The pandemic's short- and long-term effects on psychotropic medication sales were examined through interrupted time series analyses using quarterly data, conducted for each country and at overall level. Findings Globally, the total consumption of psychotropic medications increased from 34.12 DDD/TID in 2020 to 36.15 DDD/TID in 2022, corresponding to a relative average increase of 2.94% [95% CI 0.97, 4.94] annually. The estimated relative change during 2020–2022 were 1.82% [1.02, 2.64] in Lower-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs), 6.77% [−0.39, 14.45] in Upper-Middle-Income-Countries (UMICs), and 2.48% [0.72, 4.27] in High-Income-Countries (HICs). Overall psychotropic consumption showed an initial surge in Q1 2020 (level change: 1.94 DDD/TID [1.67, 2.21]), followed by a rapid decline during Q2 2020 (level change: −1.03 [−1.52, −0.54]). Most HICs exhibited a similar pattern. Following the pandemic onset, there was an increasing trend in overall psychotropic consumption (trend change: 0.13 [0.07, 0.19]). 70 of 91 countries showed an increasing slope change. Interpretation Psychotropic medication consumption increased globally after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, consumption rates in LMICs and UMICs appeared to slow down, however, patterns of change in psychotropic medication consumption following onset of the pandemic vary on a country level. To address these disparities, strategies for equitable psychotropic medication distribution and enhanced mental health care access in LMICs and UMICs are needed to improve global mental health.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Psychotropic medication consumption before and after onset of COVID-19 pandemic in 91 countries and regions: a time-series analysis |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101711 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101711 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Psychotropic medications; Global mental health; Time-series analysis |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy > Practice and Policy |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10215814 |
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