How many people take antidepressants?

[Plan_B]

I’m always hearing that there are a tremendous number of people who are taking antidepressants and other psychotropic medications. But the numbers are hard to come by. I tried diffferent combinations of words at google and couldn’t get anywhere.

Does anyone know what the correct rates are?

[Ruby]

Too bad this question is in GQ…as my answer would be, “Myself and everyone I know.”

[Walloon]

See Table 14 in this PDF document:

Ambulatory Care Visits to Physician Offices, Hospital Outpatient Departments, and Emergency Departments: United States, 2001–02, National Center for Health Statistics, 2006.

[susan]

Though that’s all medication for all reasons for visit, not just mental health.

[susan]

Bolding mine:

An estimated 10 million adults (5.5%) reported psychotropic medication use during a 1-month period. The use of anxiolytics, sedatives, and hypnotics (ASH) was most common (3.2%), followed by **antidepressants (2.3%), ** antipsychotics (0.7%), and antimanics (0.1%). Psychotropic medication use was more prevalent among women than men (P <.001), non-Hispanic whites than non-Hispanic blacks (P <.001) and Mexican Americans (P <.001), and older rather than younger age groups (P <.001). Psychotropic medication use was also most common among those below the federal poverty level, those with no high school education, and among insured persons. Only 1% of adults used two or more psychotropic medications monthly. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15679836

In my clinical private practice as a psychologist, the rate is typically about 50-75%; however, a therapeutic practice sample is not representative of the community rates.

[Plan_B]

@Shoshana

Bolding mine:

In my clinical private practice as a psychologist, the rate is typically about 50-75%; however, a therapeutic practice sample is not representative of the community rates.

Shoshana , thanks for taking the time to present that information. It’s interesting to me that the group including sedatives is used more frequently than the antidepressants; I would have guessed the opposite. I guess that includes things like Ambien and other sleeping pills.

It would be interesting if anyone has any data on one year usage or lifetime usage.

[Plan_B]

@Ruby

Too bad this question is in GQ…as my answer would be, “Myself and everyone I know.”

I’m not taking anything myself, but I understand the second part of your statement. That’s how it often seems with me and my friends.