USA Todayreports that a new study has found that 10% of Americans were taking antidepressants in 2005. That was twice as many as in 1996. It is probably even higher today although no study has been conducted since 2005. The study found that people take antidepressants to treat a wide range of ailmetns including back pain and trouble sleeping.
There are several reasons for the uptick in antidperessant use. There have been huge marketing campaigns for antidepressants (like the Zoloft campaign) that have made the public more curious about the drugs. There is less stigma today about using them. Doctors are also more comfortable prescribing them because the newer drugs have fewer side effects.
Among users of antidepressants, the percentage receiving psychotherapy fell from 31.5% to less than 20%, the study says. About 80% of patients were treated by doctors other than psychiatrists.
Patients today may be more likely to ask about antidepressant advertising, says study author Mark Olfson of Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. During the study, spending on direct-to-consumer antidepressant ads increased from $32 million to $122 million.
Doctors today also are more comfortable prescribing antidepressants, partly because the newer drugs are safer and cause fewer serious side effects, says James Potash of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, who wasn't involved in the study.
The USA Today story says there is some concern that while more people are taking antidepressants less people are seeing psychiatrists.
