A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information suggests seniors in long term care were three times more likely to have been prescribed antidepressants in the last five years than those living in their community.

CIHI analyzed data from public-drug-program claims in all provinces and Yukon which found 60 per cent of seniors living in long-term care were prescribed antidepressants in 2017, and that number rose to 65 per cent last year. But only 23 per cent of seniors living in the community were using antidepressants.

On the other end of the scale the prescribing of antibiotics has decreased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, from 38.6 per cent prior to the pandemic to 30.5 per cent in 2021 which represents 380,000 fewer seniors prescribed antibiotics.

Director, pharmaceuticals and health workforce information at CIHI is Deborah Cohen who says, “Residents of long-term care homes have been some of the most affected by COVID-19. Lengthy lockdowns and limited visits from loved ones in the early part of the pandemic may be part of the reason we saw an increase in prescriptions for antidepressants in this sector.”

Seniors living in Long Term Care were eight times more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic drugs than those living in the community. During the pandemic, antipsychotic prescriptions among seniors living in LTC grew from 37 per cent in 2019 to 43 per cent in 2021. Antipsychotics are used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, including delusions, aggression and agitation.