Mental Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and Psychotropic Medication Use Among Sudden-Death Victims

Jessica Ford; Greta Bushnell; Ashley M Griffith; Golsa Joodi; Ankita Ashoka; Neil Patel; Mariya Husain; Irion W Pursell, Jr; Samuel F Sears; John Paul Mounsey; Ross J Simpson, Jr

doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201900389

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Mental Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and Psychotropic Medication Use Among Sudden-Death Victims

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Mental Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and Psychotropic Medication Use Among Sudden-Death Victims

Jessica Ford, Greta Bushnell, Ashley M Griffith, Golsa Joodi, Ankita Ashoka, Neil Patel, Mariya Husain, Irion W Pursell, Jr, Samuel F Sears, John Paul Mounsey, …

Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), Vol.72(4), pp.378-383

04/01/2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201900389

PMID: 33593102

Abstract

Cardiovascular-psychological effects

General psychopharmacology

Sudden death

Mental health

The authors sought to estimate the prevalence of mental and substance use disorders and psychotropic medication prescriptions among working-age sudden-death victims. Using a written protocol, the authors screened for sudden deaths attended by emergency medical services (EMS) in a large metropolitan county in North Carolina from March 1, 2013, to February 28, 2015. Sudden-death cases were adjudicated by three cardiologists. Mental health and chronic disease diagnoses and treatments were abstracted from EMS, medical examiner, toxicology, and autopsy reports and from clinical records for the past 5 years before death. Sudden death was identified for 399 adults ages 18-64 years, 270 of whom had available medical records. Most sudden-death victims were White (63%) and male (65%), had a comorbid condition such as hypertension or respiratory disease, and had a mean±SD age of death of 53.6±8.8 years. Most victims (59%) had at least one mental health or substance use disorder documented in a recent medical record; 76%-78% of victims with a mental disorder had a documented psychotropic medication prescription. However, fewer than one-half (41%) had a documented referral to a mental health professional. The most common diagnostic categories were depressive, anxiety, and alcohol-related disorders. Almost one-half (46%) of the victims had a recent psychotropic prescription, most commonly antidepressants (29%) and benzodiazepines (19%). Mental illness, substance use disorders, and psychotropic medication prescriptions were prevalent among sudden-death victims. The health care needs of these individuals may be better addressed by collaborative care for general medical and mental disorders.

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Title: Mental Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and Psychotropic Medication Use Among Sudden-Death Victims
Creators: Jessica Ford - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Greta Bushnell - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Ashley M Griffith - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Golsa Joodi - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Ankita Ashoka - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Neil Patel - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Mariya Husain - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Irion W Pursell, Jr - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Samuel F Sears - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
John Paul Mounsey - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Ross J Simpson, Jr - Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford, Griffith, Sears); Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line, Greenville Health Care Center, Durham U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Greenville, North Carolina (Ford); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Bushnell); School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Joodi); School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ashoka); Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Patel, Husain, Simpson); Department of Medical Specialties, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Pursell, Mounsey)
Publication Details: Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), Vol.72(4), pp.378-383
Date published: 04/01/2021
Academic Unit: Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Identifiers: 991031665853604646