Patterns and factors associated with the prescription of psychotropic medications after diagnosis of cancer in Chinese patients: A population-based cohort study

Purpose: Patients with cancer may be prescribed psychotropic medications to address their psychiatric symptoms and disorders. This study examined the patterns and factors associated with the prescription of psychotropics after cancer diagnosis using a population-based database in Hong Kong. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with malignant cancer and had no documented psychiatric diagnosis or psychotropic medications prior to cancer diagnosis, were included. Multivariable log-binomial models were used to explore the associations between predictive factors and psychotropic medications use. Results: Among 9337 patients, 1868 patients (20.0%) were newly prescribed with psychotropic medications after cancer diagnoses, most commonly hypnotics (50.3%) and antidepressants (32.8%). About one-third (31.4%) were prescribed chronic psychotropics (>= 90 days). Approximately 48.3% of patients who were prescribed psychotropic medications received their prescriptions within 1 year after diagnosed with cancer. Only 18.6% of those prescribed psychotropic medications had a registered psychiatric diagnosis. Patients with multiple comorbidities (adjusted risk ratio[aRR] = 2.74; CI = 2.46-3.05) and diagnosed with oral (aRR = 1.89; CI = 1.52-2.35) or respiratory cancers (aRR = 1.62; CI = 1.36-1.93) were more likely to be prescribed psychotropics. Conclusions: The use of psychotropic medication is common (20%) among patients with cancer. Our findings highlight the importance of identification and documentation of psychiatric needs among patients with cancer.