Analysis of Drug and Health Resource Use Before and After COVID-19 Lockdown in a Population Undergoing Treatment for Depression or Anxiety

Ana Lear-Claveras; Ana Clavería; Sabela Couso-Viana; Patrice Nabbe; Bárbara Oliván-Blázquez

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861643

Analysis of Drug and Health Resource Use Before and After COVID-19 Lockdown in a Population Undergoing Treatment for Depression or Anxiety

Front Psychol. 2022 Apr 5:13:861643. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861643. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Ana Lear-Claveras¹, Ana Clavería^{2

3

4}, Sabela Couso-Viana^{3

4}, Patrice Nabbe⁵, Bárbara Oliván-Blázquez^{1

4

6}

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.
² I-Saúde Group, South Galicia Health Research Institute, Vigo, Spain.
³ Vigo Health Area, SERGAS, Vigo, Spain.
⁴ Network for Research on Chronicity, Primary Care, and Health Promotion (RICAPPS), Barcelona, Spain.
⁵ Département Universitaire de Médecine Générale, ER 7479 SPURBO (Soins Primaires, Santé Publique, Registre des Cancers de Bretagne Occidentale), Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France.
⁶ Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.

Abstract

Introduction: The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic modified the functions of Primary Care (PC) teams, which were forced to focus their resources on the diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The disrupted healthcare of individuals with pre-existing mental disorders (depression or anxiety), as well as the psychological decompensation resulting from the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, may have modified the use of drugs and health resources by these patients. The aim of this study is to determine the changes in these parameters, between the 6 months prior to the lockdown (09/14/2019 to 03/15/2020) and the 6 months following its end (05/03/2020 to 11/04/2020), in a population undergoing active treatment for depression or anxiety, according to the electronic clinical record.

Materials and methods: Real world data observational study of 110,694 individuals aged >16 years suffering from active or undergoing treatment for depression or anxiety according to the electronic medical records of the Aragon Regional Health Service (Spain). Pharmacological variables [daily dose per inhabitant (DHD) dispensed by pharmacies of: anxiolytics, hypnotics/sedatives, and antidepressants] and variables related to the use of healthcare resources (number of primary and specialized healthcare visits) were considered. Student's T-tests for paired samples were performed to analyze differences between periods (pre-post). The level of significance was established at 5% (p < 0.05).

Results: The use of anxiolytic drugs increased as compared to its use over the 6 months prior to the lockdown. In contrast, the consumption of antidepressants was found to decrease. The use of health resources continued to be below pre-pandemic levels, 6 months post-lockdown end.

Conclusion: Changes in the use of health resources could have a negative impact on the parameters of these diseases. The increase in drug use, especially benzodiazepines, may suggest a worsening of the symptoms during the lockdown and in the subsequent months. It is a worrying sign, which points to the growth of this public health problem and the need for its prevention.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; depression; lifestyle; primary health care; quarantine.