Abstract
Introduction While the current nomenclature of psychotropic drugs is disease-based, their approved
indications do not always match their classifications.
Methods Information on approved indications of “second-generation antipsychotics” and “newer
antidepressants” that are available in the United States (US), the United Kingdom
(UK), France, Germany, and Japan were extracted from their packet inserts.
Results A significant proportion of “atypical antipsychotics” were approved for psychiatric
conditions other than psychotic disorders (i. e., bipolar disorder, major depressive
disorder, and autistic disorder) as follows: 76.9% in the US, 66.7% in the UK, 66.7%
in France, 60.0% in Germany, and 44.4% in Japan. Likewise, more than half of “newer
antidepressants” had approved indications for psychiatric conditions other than depression
(e. g., panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, general
anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder): 56.3% in the US, 69.2% in the
UK, 69.2% in France, 50.0% in Germany, and 62.5% in Japan.
Conclusions Our results raise concerns regarding generic terminologies of “antipsychotics” and
“antidepressants” since the conventional indication-based nomenclature does not fit
well with the official indication.
Key words
antidepressant - antipsychotic - indication - NbN - neuroscience-based nomenclature
