Metabolic Implications of Psychotropic Medications in a Publicly-Funded State Psychiatric Hospital

Objective To assess the metabolic implications for patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital in several patient populations. Method Data was collected from the medical records of 108 randomly chosen patients initially diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression in our hospital from 2002 to 2003. Results Weight gain over a one-year period was demonstrated in each group of patients (treated with antipsychotics or antidepressants) (p < 0.001). After the implementation of routine lipid panel test, several patients were initially diagnosed with dyslipidemia. Discussion It is important to order routine laboratory work rationally, as this adds to the cost of hospitalization, while considering standard of care recommendations.