A survey of antidepressant prescribing in the terminally ill

Depression is a symptom in a quarter of patients admitted to a palliative care unit, but little is known of how depression in terminally ill patients is treated. We reviewed 1046 consecutive patient admissions, of whom 106 (10%) were prescribed antidepressant medication while under the care of a palliative care team. Of these patients, 21 were prescribed antidepressants when under the care of the home care team, but 80 patients (76%) were started on medication during the final 2 weeks of life. There was consequently insufficient time for the medication to have any therapeutic effect. Seventeen patients were discharged home on antidepressant medication. Three patients were referred for a psychiatric assessment. Patients prescribed antidepressants were significantly younger (P = 0.002) than those who were not. There were no prescriptions for psychostimulants. Although the numbers of patients prescribed antidepressant medication were low in all disease groups, it was notable that patients with breast cancer were prescribed antidepressant medication more frequently than any other patient group. We conclude that there appears to be a need for a coordinated approach to both the assessment and the treatment of depression in terminally ill patients.