Use of antidepressants among 0-26 year olds in Finland during 1997-2007

Background and Objectives: The use of antidepressants has increased in many Western countries among children, adolescents and young adults. The objective of this study was to analyse changes in incidence and prevalence of antidepressant use among patients aged 0 to 26 years from year 1997 to 2007. Methods: This is an observational population-based drug utilization study using a nationwide prescription register including data on reimbursed purchases of antidepressants for outpatient use. Results: The incidence and prevalence of antidepressant use increased about three fold during the study period. Among children less than 14 years of age both incidence and prevalence were low during the study period. In the age group 14-26 years, the incidence increased from 6.4 to 16.1 (per 1000 person-years) among men and from 9.7 to 28.3 among women, while the prevalence went up from 10.4 to 30.4 among men and from 15.5 to 56.8 among women. By the age of 26 years, 11.6% of men and 17.8% of women had purchased antidepressants at least once. The first antidepressant prescriptions were mainly prescribed by a specialist for children aged 7 to 15 years and by a non-specialist for the older age groups. Conclusions: Use of antidepressants has increased remarkably among adolescents and young adults during recent years. Further studies are warranted to analyse whether the increase in use is due to an increase in depression incidence, a lower threshold of prescribing medications or a lack of psychosocial treatment resources.