Psychotropic Medication Prescription Rates and Trends for New Zealand Children and Adolescents 2008-2016.

Objectives: The prescription of psychotropic medication used to treat psychiatric disorders has increased worldwide over the past two decades and has been discussed widely in the literature; however, limited data have been available for New Zealand. The current article aimed to address this knowledge gap. Methods: Prescription data obtained from The Pharmaceutical Management Agency of New Zealand (PHARMAC) were analyzed to obtain prescription dispensing rates and trends for antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics, and stimulants/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medications for youth aged 0-17 years in New Zealand during 2008-2016, including a gender and ethnicity breakdown for 2016 to provide a "snapshot" of prescription demographics. These data sets contained all individual prescriptions dispensed in New Zealand during this time period, alongside a unique encrypted National Health Index number to distinguish individuals and demographic data. Results: In 2016, 2.36% of New Zealand youth, totaling 26,175 individuals, were prescribed at least one psychotropic medication, an increase of 65.03% from 2008. Rate of prescription for youth in 2016 and percentage increase since 2008 for each medication class were as follows: antidepressants: 1.07%, 78.33% increase; antipsychotics: 0.37%, 105.60% increase; anxiolytics: 0.15%, 50% increase; and sedatives and hypnotics: 0.22%, 37.50% increase. Stimulants were prescribed to 1.06% of the population, a 41.33% increase since 2011. In 2016 the number of prescriptions was split roughly equally between males and females, with more males receiving stimulant prescriptions and more females receiving antidepressant prescriptions. Stimulants were the medication most likely to be prescribed to Maori, Pacific, and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African groups, with antidepressants most likely for European and Asian groups. Maori tended to be prescribed medications at rates lower than the general population. Conclusions: Overall, prescription rates and the increase in prescription of psychotropic medication to children and adolescents in New Zealand fall within the mid range compared to other Western countries worldwide.