Prevalence of Psychotropic Medication Use Among Dutch Military Personnel Between 2003 and 2012 and Its Comparison to the Dutch General Population

Authors Debbie G. A Janssen, E. (Eric) Vermetten, Toine Egberts, Rob Heerdink
Published in Military Medicine
Publication date 2017
Research groups Innovation in Healthcare Processes in Pharmacology
Type Article

Summary

From the article: "Background: The armed forces work under high pressure and in stressful environments and it is well known that being in the military is a risk factor for psychiatric problems. However, it remains unknown how prevalent psychotropic medication use is in military personnel. Objective: To assess prevalence of psychotropic medication use in Dutch military personnel and compare to the Dutch general population. Methods: Data were obtained from the military pharmacy. From 2003 to 2012, the year-prevalence of psychotropic medication use was calculated from the number of distributed psychotropic medications and the number of Dutch military personnel. For the year 2011, the year-prevalence of psychotropic medication use in the military was compared to that of the Dutch general population. Results: The yearprevalence of psychotropic medication use increased by 55%, from 1.64% in 2003 to 2.54% in 2012 in Dutch military personnel. An increase is seen in the number of users of psychotropic medication. Also the use of antidepressants and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication increased. Conclusion: Over the last decade, there has been a 1.5-fold increase in psychotropic medication dispensed to Dutch military personnel. However, Dutch military personnel were significantly less likely to use psychotropic medications compared to the Dutch general population."

On this publication contributed

  • Rob Heerdink | Professor | Research group Innovation in Healthcare Processes in Pharmacology
    Rob Heerdink
    • Professor
    • Research group: Innovation in Healthcare Processes in Pharmacology

Language English
Published in Military Medicine
Year and volume 182 1
Key words Armed Forces, Psychotropic medication
Page range e1584-e1588

Innovation in Healthcare Processes in Pharmacology