Darren Cummings/AP
The monthly rate of antidepressants being prescribed to young people has grown about 64% faster during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study published Monday in the journal . Pediatrics.
Researchers used the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Database to examine a sample of nearly 221 million prescriptions written for millions of Americans ages 12 to 25 and from 2016 to 2022. The researchers also separated the data before and after March 2020, when the pandemic began. .
This increase was most pronounced among young women and girls. Monthly growth grew about 130% faster among girls ages 12 to 17, and about 57% faster among young women ages 18 to 25.
The study hypothesizes that this surge may be due to people relying on prescriptions due to higher rates of depression or anxiety, better access to health care services due to things like telemedicine, and long waiting lists for treatment during the pandemic.
The data set includes prescriptions filled at “retail, mail order, and long-term care pharmacies in the United States,” rather than proprietary health systems such as Kaiser Permanente, the study said.
Conversely, monthly antidepressant dispensing rates decreased during the pandemic for boys ages 12 to 17 and remained unchanged for young men ages 18 to 25.
However, data shows that more boys were taken to emergency rooms for suspected suicide attempts in early 2021 compared to early 2019. Between 2019 and 2021, high school boys also consistently reported feeling sad or hopeless more often, according to the researchers.
This juxtaposition may be because men and boys are less likely to seek treatment for their mental health, the researchers said.
The data included variables such as location, age, gender, and method of payment (Medicare, Medicaid, cash, etc.), but did not include factors such as income, race, or ethnicity.