Impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on the consumption of anxiolytics, hypnotics and antidepressants according to age groups: a French nationwide study

Abstract

Background Previous studies have shown a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated sanitary measures on mental health, especially among adolescents and young adults. Such a context may raise many concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic long-term psychological effects. An analysis of administrative databases could be an alternative and complementary approach to medical interview-based epidemiological surveys to monitor the mental health of the population. We conducted a nationwide study to describe the consumption of anxiolytics, antidepressants and hypnotics during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the five previous years. Methods A historic cohort study was conducted by extracting and analysing data from the French health insurance database between 1 January 2015 and 28 February 2021. Individuals were classified into five age-based classes. Linear regression models were performed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic period on the number of drug consumers, in introducing an interaction term between time and COVID-19 period. Results Since March 2020, in all five age groups and all three drug categories studied, the number of patients reimbursed weekly has increased compared to the period from January 2015 to February 2020. The youngest the patients, the more pronounced the magnitude. Conclusions Monitoring the consumption of psychiatric medications could be of great interest as reliable indicators are essential for planning public health strategies. A post-crisis policy including reliable monitoring of mental health must be anticipated.

Evolution in French University Students' Mental Health One Month After the First COVID-19 Related Quarantine: Results From the COSAMe Survey

“…France is particularly affected by suicide, with nearly 9,000 suicides per year. Suicide is also the second leading cause of death among young adults (15–24 years old), and the first warning signs have already been reported among this population: the consumption of anxiolytics, antidepressants, and hypnotics has increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the five previous years ( 13 ).…”

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“…The global upward trends in psychotropic consumption after the start of the COVID-19 epidemic have been verified in several studies [ 25 ], although not all [ 26 ]. The EPIPHARE study, a pharmaco-epidemiological study conducted by French public institutions and including data on the whole French population since 2018, reported changes in outpatient drug consumption and particularly a significant downward trend in the consumption of anxiolytics, hypnotics, and antidepressants until 2019, but which was interrupted in 2020 at the start of the pandemic [ 23 ].…”

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“…In addition, we cannot dismiss the possibility that patients with AN were managed by ambulatory physicians, thereby reducing hospital care. For instance, it has been shown that the prescriptions of psychotropic drugs, such as antidepressants, anxiolytics and hypnotics, increased dramatically during the pandemic nationwide [ 7 , 37 ], suggesting an increase in outpatient versus inpatient care. In addition, we must point out that the study was carried out exclusively on inpatients with AN admitted to general hospital wards, at least initially, which could potentially lead to an underestimation of the number of patients with AN hospitalized exclusively for psychiatric stabilization (i.e., in psychiatric units, which are separate from the other hospital wards).…”

“…Although the French authorities actively supported the economy and therefore indirectly limited the risk of an economic recession that may have had additional negative psychological consequences, the national containment measures, which included social distancing, as well as the closure of schools, universities, and “non-essential” workplaces and services, led to social isolation and loneliness for many people. Numerous reports have described the increase in psychological disturbances (i.e., anxiety, depression and self-harming behaviors) that emerged during the COVID-19 crisis [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”