PSYCHOTROPIC-DRUGS CONSUMPTION IN FRANCE AND SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The consumption in France of psychotropic drugs, of all classes, excep t for neuroleptics, is great, even very great, and largely superior to that observed in neighbouring European countries such as Germany, Spa in, Italy and the United Kingdom. With regard to hypnotics and anxioly tics, 5 to 7 per cent of the French adult population consumes them reg ularly. The percentages rise with age among females, and with the pres ence of unfavourable medical-social conditions The consumption of this class of therapeutic drugs has remained stable for about ten years. T he consumption of antidepressants regularly grows at a rate of about 5 per cent per year, essentially linked to the consumption of serotonin -recapture inhibitors and especially fluoxetine, currently prescribed by general practitioners in about 60 per cent of cases. The factors re sponsible for the strong French consumption of psychotropic drugs and the divergences with our European neighbours are complex, numerous, an d poorly analysed for lack of valid comparative studies. Better prescr ibing practices require specific initial and continuous training to ta ke into account the realities of everyday medical practice.