Estimate the prevalence of use of psychotropic medications in the cities of São Paulo (SP) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ);

Random sample of 3744 individuals, 15–75 years; CIDI 2.1 (depression and anxiety) and direct questions about use of psychotropic medications in the past year; prevalence estimation was performed by weighting oversampling in SP and standardization between cities by age; psychotropic consumption association with socio-demographic variables and diagnosis was performed by logistic regression.

The prevalence of psychotropic use was 8.95% in SP (CI:7.93–9 .97) and 9:54% in RJ (CI:8.49–10 .59). Antidepressants (4.72% and 4.33%) and tranquilizers (4.20% and 1.73%) respectively in SP and RJ where more common used. Psychiatrists in SP most often prescribed psychotropic (39%), in RJ general practitioners (48.8%) where more cited. Most antipsychotics (52%) and antidepressants (39%) in SP were donated by the government in RJ this figure falls to 8% and 7%. Female individuals with increasing age, separated or divorced with a psychiatric diagnosis in the past year, family history of mental illness and higher income were more likely to use psychotropic drugs. About 70% to 82% of individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder or phobic disorder, did not use any psychotropic drug.

There was a decrease in the consumption of psychotropic drugs in Brazil in recent decades, with a change in the consumption of tranquilizers and antidepressants. There is a need for a better training and education of doctors and family assistance programs in recognizing symptoms of common mental health disorders.