Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Antidepressants are increasingly prescribed for nondepressive disorders and nonapproved (off-label) indications but the magnitude of this phenomenon is unknown. The objective of this research project was to use data from a primary care electronic prescribing system in Canada to determine how the prescribing of antidepressants for depression and off-label indications has changed over time. Using this data, we found that nearly half of antidepressant prescriptions are written for nondepressive disorders and that SSRIs, SNRIs, and TCAs are being increasingly prescribed for off-label indications without strong scientific evidence.