[Gender and psychiatric drugs: a qualitative study to find the views of prescription-fillers].
OBJECTIVES: To find the views of those filling out prescriptions on the factors that affect differential prescription of psychiatric medication, and on reducing the prescription; and to analyse their discourse for possible implicit gender bias. DESIGN: Qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews conducted in 2002-2003. SETTING: Urban and rural health centres. PARTICIPANTS: Family and community medicine and psychiatry professionals working in the public health services of Andalusia, the Community of Madrid, and the Basque Country. Segmentation criteria: community of residence, age, sex, medical speciality, and location of centre. METHODS: Structural sample. Interviews conducted by the research team. Strategy of analysis in two distinct processes: contents analysis with agreed categories and gender analysis of the discourse. RESULTS. The prescribers found that taking psychiatric medication was associated with sex, age, social and economic category, and social expectations. In the discourses we found consumer profiles emerging that were not found in the epidemiological literature. Discourse analysis showed implicit gender bias in the beliefs of some prescribers. CONCLUSIONS. To minimise the growing offer and demand for psychiatric medication, prescribers thought training in diagnosis and psychotherapy should be improved, case-loads should be reduced, co-ordination between services improved and alternative treatments favoured. To minimise gender bias in the diagnosis and prescription of psychiatric medication, we think training is needed on the influence of cultural and gender factors on the process of construction of identities.