A follow-up study of prescribing for people with learning disabilities previously in National Health Service care in Leicestershire, England

Abstract

A 6-year follow-up was undertaken of 486 people with learning disabilities who in 1990 had lived in institutional care. Despite changes to the nature of accommodation and an extensive drug review programme, the overall proportion of people receiving the different categories of psychotropic drugs remained similar in 1990 and 1996. Only the prescribing of antidepressants was markedly changed. Contrary to expectations the prevalence of prescribing of many psychotropic drugs rose in the community settings.