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Key Takeaways

Plain English Takeaway

More people in the U.S. are using prescription medicine for depression, especially women, older adults, and those with disabilities or less money. Some groups, like White people, use these medicines more than others.

Study Aim

The main goal of this study is to examine how the use of prescription antidepressant medications for depression symptoms has changed in the United States from 2019 to 2023. The research specifically looks at differences in medication use based on age, gender, race, and social vulnerability (meaning how much a person's social situation makes them more at risk for problems). The study aims to help doctors and policymakers understand who is using these medicines most and where there are gaps in care. Simply put: The study wants to find out who is taking depression medicine in the U.S. and how this has changed over five years.

Study Design

The researchers used data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is a yearly survey of U.S. households. They analyzed responses from adults aged 18 and older who answered questions about feeling depressed and whether they used prescription medicine for these symptoms between 2019 and 2023. The study included about 14,820 people who reported depression symptoms and medication use. The team looked at trends by age, gender, race, income, insurance, disability, and social vulnerability (measured by the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, which ranks how much people are at risk due to social factors). They used statistical methods to make sure the results represent the whole country. Simply put: The study looked at survey answers from thousands of adults to see who uses depression medicine, breaking it down by age, gender, race, and other factors.

Findings

The study reveals that antidepressant use in the U.S. increased from 9.8% in 2019 to 11.4% in 2023. Women used these medicines much more than men, and older adults had higher rates than younger ones. White individuals had the highest use, while Black and Asian groups had lower rates. People with disabilities were much more likely to use antidepressants than those without disabilities. Those with lower incomes and public insurance (like Medicaid) also had higher usage. The study highlights ongoing gaps, showing that some groups have less access to depression care. The authors recommend targeted mental health programs and better access for vulnerable groups. Simply put: More people are taking depression medicine, but some groups—like women, older adults, and people with disabilities—use it much more than others.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Depression is a major public health concern, and antidepressant medication is commonly prescribed for its management. Understanding trends in antidepressant use across socio-demographic groups is crucial for targeted interventions. OBJECTIVE: To analyze trends in antidepressant medication use between 2019 and 2023 using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), focusing on demographic factors such as gender, age, race, and social vulnerability. METHOD: Data from the NHIS (2019-2023) were analyzed to assess trends in antidepressant use by sociodemographic variables. Descriptive statistics and trends were evaluated using prevalence estimates with confidence intervals. RESULT: <0.001). CONCLUSION: The study reveals a steady increase in antidepressant use from 2019 to 2023, particularly among females, older adults, and individuals with higher social vulnerability or disabilities. Racial disparities in antidepressant use persist, with White individuals showing the highest prevalence. These findings highlight the ongoing need for targeted mental health interventions, especially for vulnerable groups, and underscore the importance of addressing disparities in access to mental health care. Future research should focus on the factors driving these trends and their implications for public health.

Referenced In

Lee Johnson
a month ago
A Scientific Review of Claims made by RFK Jr.

Claim: Psychiatric Medications are “Overprescribed” in the US

Verdict: Likely inaccurate, and highly misleading.

“Today, we take clear and decisive action to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications—especially among children”

WTAS: HHS Launches MAHA Action Plan to Curb Psychiatric Overprescribing

This week, RFK Jr. and his Department of Health and Human Services announced a plan to curb “overprescribing” of psychiatric medications, with a particular focus on youth.

Ignoring more outlandish previous statements made by RFK Jr. on this topic, the key issue here is simple: are psychiatric medications “overprescribed” in the US?

What is “Overprescribing,” Anyway?

“Overprescribing” refers to people being prescribed a treatment that they didn’t technically “need,” likely because other, non-medication approaches would have been effective.

This is a legitimate issue, but it should be immediately clear that this is a decision that can only realistically be made on a case-by-case basis by a qualified healthcare provider. Simply looking at rising prescriptions for psychiatric medications is not enough to say there is “overprescribing.”

Prescription vs. Prevalence Rates for Psychiatric Conditions

Although we can’t definitively prove or disprove overprescribing with less granular data, we can still broadly address it. If prescriptions broadly move with the prevalence of the condition, widespread overprescribing is unlikely.

One study from 2018 tackled this exact issue, for stimulants, antipsychotics and antidepressants prescribed to young people. The study found that prescriptions for antidepressants and stimulants are broadly in line with the underlying rates of ADHD, depression and anxiety. For antipsychotics, it’s harder to estimate due to off-label medication use, but it also seems in line with prevalence estimates.

More recent data shows a continued increase in depression prevalence, so it would be expected that prescription rates would continue to increase.

Overprescribing or Underprescribing? It Depends Where You Look

Other data reveals another fundamental issue with the logic here. Rates of antidepressant prescriptions vary drastically by demographic group, as shown in the attached image. Should we conclude that antidepressants are underprescribed among men but overprescribed among non-binary people?

The reality is that a complex interplay of factors influences prescribing. Simply reducing this to “psychiatric medications are overprescribed” ignores between-group differences, the changing need for psychiatric medications and the overall reality that many people with mental health issues don’t receive any treatment at all.

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