Psychiatric services : a journal of the American Psychiatric Association
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The emergence of evidence-based psychological treatments (EVPTs) is a scientific success story, but unfortunately the application of these empirically supported procedures has been slow to gain ground in treatment-as-usual settings. This Open Forum commentary argues that direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing, which has worked well in communicating the advantages of various medicines, should perhaps be considered for use in social marketing of EVPTs. DTC marketing of pharmaceuticals is a long-standing advertising strategy in the United States. ⋯ The authors recommend various strategies for using marketing science to devise DTC advertising of EVPTs, discuss previous research on DTC campaigns, and describe initiatives launched in the United Kingdom and Europe to promote EVPTs. Suggestions for evaluating and regulating DTC marketing of EVPTs are included. Finally, the potential for DTC marketing of EVPTs to increase mental health literacy and reduce health disparities is explored.
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Off-Label Prescribing of Psychotropic Medication, 2005-2013: An Examination of Potential Influences.
This study examined rates of psychotropic prescriptions for various on- and off-label uses in 2005 and 2013 in the context of changes in labeled indications. ⋯ FDA labeling plays an important but imperfect role in influencing how providers select medications. Prescribing increases for medications with new indications. Conversely, black box warnings of potentially dangerous side effects result in decreased prescribing. However, labeled indications often lag the science, and prescribing patterns should be tracked to inform the need for more education, research, and labeling changes.