{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T20:23:54Z","timestamp":1787775834439,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract:<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>BACKGROUND:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Off-label prescribing \u2013 using medications outside their approved indications, doses, or populations \u2013 is common in psychiatry, with Indian studies estimating a prevalence of 30%\u201340%. Despite this, data on prescribing patterns and associated factors remain limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>AIM:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to assess the prevalence, pattern, and demographic factors associated with off-label prescribing in a psychiatric outpatient setting. The specific objectives included identifying common psychiatric conditions linked to off-label use and its correlation with patient age.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>METHODS:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A prospective, cross-sectional, and observational study was conducted over 3 months in the psychiatry outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital after ethics approval. Data on demographics, clinical history, and prescriptions were collected using a predesigned pro forma. Off-label status was determined using the National Formulary of India (NFI, 6\n                      <jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup>\n                      edition, 2021) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organization records. The Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>RESULTS:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Among 500 patients (mean age 40.74 \u00b1 15.49 years), 1197 drugs were prescribed, of which 417 (34.83%) were off-label. Clonazepam (40.28%) and lorazepam (15.35%) were the most frequently used off-label drugs, followed by risperidone and propranolol (4.32%). Depressive disorder was the most common condition linked to off-label use. Off-label prescribing was highest (49.6%) in the 21\u201340 years\u2019 age group. Inappropriate indications were the most frequent reason for off-label use.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>CONCLUSION:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Off-label prescribing is prevalent in psychiatric practice, with benzodiazepines and antipsychotics commonly involved. These findings highlight the need for improved awareness and regulation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/ijp.ijp_184_25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]],"date-time":"2026-03-02T07:00:12Z","timestamp":1772434812000},"page":"96-100","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A prospective observational study on the off-label use of medications in the psychiatry outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"58","author":[{"given":"Shubham","family":"Gadaria","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sapna Arun","family":"More","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"V. S.","family":"Pal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pooja Solanki","family":"Mishra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pali","family":"Rastogi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deepti","family":"Rastogi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, 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patterns of medication usage in affective disorder patients: A comprehensive investigation at a psychiatry outpatient clinic of a tertiary care hospital","volume":"16","author":"Modh","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"R15-20260302","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"540","DOI":"10.18535\/jmscr\/v6i10.91","article-title":"An observational study on drug utilization pattern and pharmacovigilance of antidepressant drugs","volume":"6","author":"Hussain","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Med Sci Clin Res"},{"key":"R16-20260302","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1186\/s12991-018-0176-4","article-title":"Off-label prescription of psychiatric drugs by non-psychiatrist physicians in three general hospitals in Germany","volume":"17","author":"L\u00fccke","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ann Gen Psychiatry"},{"key":"R17-20260302","first-page":"53","article-title":"The law and practice of off-label prescribing and physician 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