Attitudes of old age psychiatrists in England and Wales to the use of mood stabilizer drugs.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates attitudes to the prescription of mood stabilizer drugs for older patients by old age psychiatrists.

METHODS

From a sample of 508 members of the Old Age Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists practicing in England and Wales, 188 (37%) took part in a postal questionnaire survey. A proforma questionnaire investigating opinions about potential indications for, and current concerns about, mood stabilizer drugs was sent to all participants.

RESULTS

Nearly all respondents initiated prescriptions for mood stabilizer drugs and a large majority agreed that they are therapeutically appropriate for prophylaxis of affective disorder (95%), treatment resistant depression (95%), acute mania (91%) and for behavioral symptoms in dementia (75%). Concerns about safety (77%), drug interactions (68%) and lack of scientific evidence (53%) were common.

CONCLUSIONS

Old age psychiatrists are frequent prescribers of mood stabilizer drugs for a variety of indications but have understandable concerns arising from a relative lack of scientific evidence of efficacy and effectiveness in older patients.