Despite the clinical guidelines regarding the use of combined antipsychotics and the limited evidence for its benefits, the use remains high in psychiatric practice.

To measure the prevalence and examine the reasons for initiating and continuing combined antipsychotics in psychiatric illnesses.

A cross-sectional study was carried out using medical records in a psychiatric community rehabilitation service. A representative sample (n= 75) of patients with chronic and enduring psychiatric illnesses was studied. The age, gender, diagnosis and prescribed antipsychotics were examined. The prevalence and documented reasons for combined antipsychotic prescribing were analysed.

Seventy-three of the seventy-five patients were prescribed antipsychotic mediations. Of these, 44 (60%) received a combination of 2 or more antipsychotics. The most common reason for combined prescribing was a switch of antipsychotic (n=18; 41%). No reason was documented in 19 cases (43%).

In-complete switching of antipsychotics contributed to a high prevalence of combined antipsychotic use, and lack of adequate documentation on reasons for the combination was common.