Prescription Patterns of Psychotropic Medications for the Treatment of Psychotic Disorders in the Largest Mental Health Institutions of Uganda

The study describes prescription patterns of psychotropic medications for patients treated for psychosis in psychiatric hospitals of Uganda. A cross-sectional quantitative survey of age, sex, diagnoses, and psychotropic medication of 682 psychiatric inpatients of the 2 national referral hospitals in Uganda was conducted on 1 day in March 2012. The percentage of patients treated with the same substance within the diagnostic categories schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, unspecified psychosis, and depressive disorder was calculated. Close to 90% of the patients with conditions diagnosed with any psychotic disorder were treated with first-generation antipsychotic drugs (eg, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, trifluoperazine, and depot fluphenazine). Carbamazepine in combination with first-generation antipsychotics was prescribed frequently (45%) for the treatment of bipolar affective disorder. The use of second-generation antipsychotics, lithium, and valproic acid was exceptional. Patients with depression usually received a combination (63%) of first-generation antipsychotics and antidepressants (fluoxetine or amitriptyline). Benzodiazepines were only infrequently used for patients diagnosed with psychoses. First-generation antipsychotics, antidepressants, and carbamazepine were the most frequently used medications for treatment of psychosis in Uganda. Although lithium and valproic acid were on the essential drug list in Uganda, their use was still infrequent. There is a need to ensure the practical availability of the drugs listed on the essential drug list and to support the implementation of their use in clinical practice.