Trends in the Use and Expenditures for the Therapetic Class Prescribed Psychotherapeutic Agents and All Subclasses, 1997 and 2004. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief No. 163

摘要

This Statistical Brief compares 1997 and 2004 data for the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized (community) population from the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC) on total expenditures, total number of purchases, total number of people with a purchase, and average price per purchase for the therapeutic class of prescribed psychotherapeutic agents and all therapeutic subclasses within the class. The subclasses include antipsychotics; central nervous system (CNS) stimulants; antidepressants; and anxiolytics, sedatives, and hypnotics. Only prescribed medicines purchases in an outpatient setting are included in the estimates presented in this brief. Insulin and diabetic supplies and equipment are included in MEPS prescribed medicines estimates. Over-the-counter medicines are excluded from these estimates as are prescription medicines administered in an inpatient setting or in a clinic or physicians office. Expenditures are in nominal dollars. All differences discussed in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level.