Residents of B.C. long-term care homes are some of the most likely in the country to be given antipsychotic medications without a diagnosis of psychosis, national data shows, and experts say the discrepancy can’t be explained away as a consequence of COVID-19.
Data from the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) covering 2020-21 show that 26.5 per cent of long-term care residents in B.C. were given antipsychotic drugs under “potentially inappropriate” circumstances, up from 24.7 per cent a year earlier.
That’s the highest level in at least five years, according to CIHI numbers, and well above the national average of 22 per cent.
B.C. seniors’ advocate Isobel Mackenzie said those numbers are in line with the information collected by her office, which shows a spike in antipsychotic use during the pandemic after years of decline.
She believes the numbers suggest many care homes increasingly turned to antipsychotics during the pandemic as visits from family were restricted and regular activities were cancelled, causing residents to become distressed.
