Who's Taking Antidepressants? What the Numbers Show

Eleven percent of Americans over age 12 took antidepressant medication between 2005 and 2008, according to an October data brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

For the report, a team of NCHS researchers led by Laura Pratt, Ph.D., analyzed data on the medication usage and depression severity of 12,637 individuals aged 12 and older who participated in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Each of the participants completed a household interview and visited a mobile examination center for a physical exam and private interview.

The researchers noted that for the purposes of this study, antidepressant use was not limited to those taking such medication solely for depression. The analysis took into account the total number of antidepressants taken, regardless of the reason for use.

The data brief detailed prevalence of antidepressant use by age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, depression severity, and length of medication use. Among the researchers' key findings were that women were more than twice as likely as men to take antidepressant medication (15.4 percent compared with 6.0 percent); non-Hispanic whites were more likely to take antidepressants than non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican-Americans (13.6 percent compared with 3.9 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively); and only 29.3 percent of Americans who took a single antidepressant had had contact with a mental health professional in the prior year.

When considering age and gender as factors in medication use, the researchers found that both men and women over age 40 were more likely to take antidepressants than younger individuals. Nearly one-quarter of women between the ages of 40 and 59 took antidepressant medication—a greater percentage than any other age-sex group.

Both sexes experienced a rise in antidepressant use as the severity of their depressive symptoms increased, although women were more likely than men to take antidepressants at all levels of depression severity. The severity of participants' depressive symptoms was measured using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire.

In assessing the length of time that survey participants reported taking antidepressant medication, the researchers found that more than 60 percent had done so for at least two years, while 14 percent had been taking antidepressants for 10 years or longer.

The data brief also found that of those taking antidepressants, approximately 14 percent took more than one such medication. Of this group, less than one-half reported having seen a mental health professional in the past year. The researchers noted that the data did not indicate whether those individuals who contacted a mental health professional actually began treatment for depression or whether participants received treatment from their primary care providers.

There was no variation observed in antidepressant use by income group.