Psychotropic drug prescriptions in adolescents before and after the COVID‐19 pandemic in Lombardy region, Italy

AIM: To compare the pattern of psychotropic drug prescriptions in adolescents who started a drug therapy after the COVD-19 pandemic and in adolescents who began before the pandemic. METHODS: A healthcare database from Italy's Lombardy region was analysed to compare the prescription profiles of psychotropic drugs (N05 and N06 groups of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system) and access to healthcare services among two cohorts of adolescents aged 12-17 years. One cohort received their first psychotropic drug prescription in 2018 (pre-pandemic), and the other received theirs in 2021 (post-pandemic). The incidence, number of prescriptions and persistence of therapy within 12 months of the first prescription date and prevalence of polytherapy (prescription of more than one psychotropic class) were evaluated. Additionally, access to healthcare services was monitored before and after the index prescription. RESULTS: The incident users were 1734 in 2018 and 2943 in 2021; the incidence increased from 3.01 per 1000 to 4.97 per 1000 (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.64; 95% CI 1.55-1.74), with the largest rise in girls aged 12-14 (IRR 2.35; 95% CI 2.01-2.77). Among girls, the median number of prescriptions (+50%), prevalence of polytherapy (+57%) and persistence at 12 months (+31%) all increased post-pandemic, while no significant changes were observed among boys. Healthcare service use was higher prior to initiation in 2021 (65.7%) than in 2018 (58.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The increase in incidence and intensity of psychotropic drug prescriptions in adolescent girls confirms the existence of sex-related differences in mental health during the pandemic.