Psychotropic dispensing in Greek adolescents and young adults: national trends and regional variation.

PURPOSE: The study quantified national trends in psychotropic medication dispensing among children and adolescents (0-17 years) and young adults (18-29 years) in Greece during 2020-2024 and characterized patterns by drug class, sex, diagnosis, and region. METHODS: Repeated cross-sectional analyses used nationwide administrative e-prescription dispensing data (used as a proxy for medication exposure) aggregated by year, age group, and sex. Outcomes were total dispensed packs, dispensing prevalence per 1,000 inhabitants, and dispensing intensity (packs per patient). Pharmacologic classes followed Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) groupings, while International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) macro-groups were constructed to link dispensing with psychiatric and selected G-chapter and related diagnostic categories. RESULTS: Overall psychotropic dispensing prevalence increased from 64.5 to 71.8 per 1,000 inhabitants between 2020 and 2024. SSRI dispensing prevalence increased from 6.65 to 9.09 per 1,000, whereas hypnotic benzodiazepine prevalence declined from 1.01 to 0.94 per 1,000 and Z-drugs prevalence decreased from 0.20 to 0.15 per 1,000. Females had higher odds of antidepressant dispensing. Regional antidepressant dispensing prevalence was highest in the Ionian Islands (13.46 per 1,000), followed by Attica (11.93 per 1,000) and Western Greece (11.86 per 1,000). CONCLUSION: Psychotropic medication dispensing among Greek adolescents and young adults increased during 2020-2024, largely due to SSRIs, with stable dispensing intensity and marked heterogeneity by age, sex, diagnosis, and region. These findings support age-appropriate prescribing stewardship and targeted regional monitoring.