Psychiatric polypharmacy in adult patients at the only referral psychiatric institute in Botswana: A cross-sectional study.

Authors

Boikhutso Changu Kinsman, Hlanganiso Roy, Anthony A Olashore

Published in

PloS one. Volume 21. Issue 9. Pages e0359278. Epub Sep 25, 2026.

Abstract

Despite growing acceptance in some clinical settings, its risks necessitate caution due to adverse effects, drug interactions, and poor adherence. We aimed to find the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of psychiatric polypharmacy among adults at Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital (SPH) in Lobatse, Botswana.
This cross-sectional study involved the collection of demographic and clinical data via interviews and medical records from 300 participants at SPH, which were subsequently analyzed using multivariable logistic regression.
The mean age of participants was 36.5 years (SD 12.1), and they were predominantly male (55.3%). The overall prevalence of psychiatric polypharmacy was 49.7%, with the most prevalent subtype being multi-class polypharmacy (79.2%). Inpatients (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 5.00; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 2.70,9.25), individuals with substance use disorder (AOR = 4.60; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.18,17.86), and those diagnosed with bipolar mood disorder (AOR = 2.67; 95% CI: 1.49,4.80) exhibited significant associations with psychiatric polypharmacy.
Psychiatric polypharmacy is common in this group, mostly due to bipolar disorder or substance use disorders. It is crucial to identify high-risk patients for reviews and to train clinicians in rational prescribing to improve medication use and minimize risks in Botswana.

PMID:
42789592
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Sep 2026.

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