12-month herbal medicine use for mental health from the national Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)

Simha E Ravven; M Bridget Zimmerman; Susan K Schultz; Robert B Wallace

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12-month herbal medicine use for mental health from the national Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)

Journal article

Peer reviewed

12-month herbal medicine use for mental health from the national Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)

Simha E Ravven, M Bridget Zimmerman, Susan K Schultz and Robert B Wallace

Annals of clinical psychiatry, Vol.23(2), pp.83-94

05/2011

PMID: 21547268

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Abstract

Herbal medicine is widely used by individuals with mental health problems, although research on their health characteristics and health care utilization patterns—including concomitant treatment with conventional mental health care and psychotropic medication—remains limited. We gathered data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a representative survey of US adults in which diagnoses of mental disorders were based on a fully structured diagnostic interview. Our analysis found that NCS-R respondents with mental disorders were significantly more likely to have used herbal medicines for mental health problems than respondents who did not meet criteria for a mental disorder. Users of herbal medicines for mental health problems were likely to utilize conventional health care as well, particularly conventional psychiatric medication. Herbal use also was associated with having multiple comorbid medical problems. A substantial proportion of US adults use herbal medicine to treat mental health problems. Herbal medicine is frequently used concomitantly with conventional health care, including prescription psychotropic medication. Herbal use also is associated with having multiple chronic medical problems. These factors increase the potential for interactions between herbal medicines and psychiatric and nonpsychiatric medications.

Comorbidity

United States

Mental Disorders - epidemiology

Humans

Hypericum

Middle Aged

Phytotherapy - utilization

Male

Psychotropic Drugs - therapeutic use

Utilization Review - statistics & numerical data

Complementary Therapies - utilization

Health Surveys

Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology

Mental Disorders - drug therapy

Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology

Adult

Female

Mental Health Services - utilization

Drug Therapy, Combination

Drug Utilization - statistics & numerical data

Details

Title: Subtitle: 12-month herbal medicine use for mental health from the national Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)
Creators: Simha E Ravven - Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, The Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA 02193, USA. sravven@cha.harvard.edu
M Bridget Zimmerman
Susan K Schultz
Robert B Wallace
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Annals of clinical psychiatry, Vol.23(2), pp.83-94
PMID: 21547268
NLM abbreviation: Ann Clin Psychiatry
ISSN: 1040-1237
eISSN: 1547-3325
Publisher: United States
Grant note: P01 ES012020 / NIEHS NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 05/2011
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Epidemiology; Biostatistics; Injury Prevention Research Center; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9983997346702771

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