The use of psychiatric medications and associated factors among people receiving care at a transgender outpatient clinic in Southern Brazil, 2021-2022

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the prevalence of psychiatric medication use and sociodemographic factors, including gender identity, age, race/skin color, education level, formal employment, and access to Primary Health Care (PHC) centers, among individuals receiving care at a transgender outpatient clinic in Southern Brazil. Methods : This was a cross-sectional study using administrative data from the information systems of the Municipal Health Department of Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul state, collected between 2021 and 2022. Results : This study analyzed 629 records of individuals who accessed the outpatient clinic and found a 29% prevalence (95%CI 25;32) of psychiatric medication use, with the most frequent class being psychoanaleptics (45%), especially fluoxetine (31%). Conclusion In addition to a trend toward mixed-race race/skin color and incomplete elementary school, transgender people aged 40 to 49 years and with access to a Primary Health Care center were more likely to use psychiatric medications.

Keywords

• Transgender People
• Sexual and Gender Minorities
• Mental Health
• Medication Use
• Cross-Sectional Studies