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US Antidepressant Use Rate Increases 400 Percent in 20 Years

The conclusions belong to a new report compiled by the CDC

Oct 26, 2011 18:01 GMT  ·  By
Antidepressant use soars by more than 400 percent throughout the United States, in less than 20 years
   Antidepressant use soars by more than 400 percent throughout the United States, in less than 20 years

Officials with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal in a report released on October 19 that the rate at which antidepressant medication is used in the United States has increased four times in the past 20 years alone.

According to the document, which was compiled by the CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), more than 11 percent of all people living in the US – aged over 12 – take prescription antidepressants, some of them for more than 10 years in a row.

The 18-44 age group uses most of these drugs, the report further shows. It was additionally found that nearly a quarter of women aged between 40 and 59 take such drugs to address various diagnostics.

A worrying statistic is that no less than 14 percent of people taking antidepressants take more than one drug. The CDC is worried about this situation, considering it to be a public health crisis, PsychCentral reports.