Uso de psicotrópicos no Brasil: uma revisão sistemática.

Abstract

The use of psychotropic medications causes changes in the behavior, mood, and emotions of the people who use them. Psychotropic drugs control mental disorders and psychic dysfunctions, usually by interfering with synaptic neurotransmitters, selectively modifying the Central Nervous System (CNS). The indiscriminate use of these drugs represents a serious public health problem. The cultural, socioeconomic and epidemiological differences of a country directly interfere with the profile of drug consumption. The different prevalence of mental illness over time explains the variation in the consumption profile. Therefore, the objective of this study was to perform a systematic review on the use of psychotropic drugs in society and to describe the main characteristics of users of psychotropic drugs in Brazil. The methodology used for data collection was the bibliographical research by means of a survey of the works published in Brazil, with a qualitative and quantitative approach and date of publication comprised between the period from 2007 to 2017. The research was done from the databases Scielo and BVS. Twenty-one studies were selected for the research. The results showed that the most commonly used class of psychotropic drugs was antidepressants, with fluoxetine being the most widely used medication. Women use more psychotropics than men and individuals with companions, with incomplete elementary education and income above two minimum wages are the ones who use psychotropic drugs the most, and this use increases with age. It was then possible to know the consumption profile of users of psychotropic drugs in Brazil, based on a bibliographic review.