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Trends in antidepressant utilization from 2001 to 2004.
Jeffrey S Harman1, Mark J Edlund, John C Fortney
1Department of Health Services Research, Management, and Policy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, 101 S. Newell Dr., Room 4151, P.O. Box 100195, Gainesville, FL 32611-0195, USA. jharman@phhp.ufl.edu
Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.)
|May 5, 2009
Summary
Antidepressant use increased overall but decreased for individuals with depression between 2000-2004. Adequate antidepressant treatment rates also declined, preceding black-box warnings.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Pharmacoeconomics
Background:
- Antidepressant use saw increasing trends throughout the 1990s.
- Understanding contemporary antidepressant prescribing patterns is crucial for public health.
- The early 21st century marked a potential shift in mental health treatment utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if rising antidepressant use continued from the 1990s into 2000-2004.
- To analyze antidepressant treatment trends by patient age group and medication class.
- To identify drivers of observed trends in antidepressant prescribing.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of the 2000-2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (N=166,435).
- Examination of antidepressant use rates in the general population, individuals with depression, and those with anxiety disorders.
- Stratification of analysis by age group and antidepressant medication class.
Main Results:
- Overall antidepressant use rose from 6.6% (2000) to 8.1% (2004).
- Antidepressant use decreased among those with depression (63.1% to 56.7%), driven by reduced use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
- Adequate antidepressant treatment rates declined from a peak of 36.9% (2002) to 31.7% (2004).
Conclusions:
- A reversal in the trend of increasing antidepressant use for depression was observed in the early 2000s.
- Decreasing rates of adequate antidepressant treatment occurred prior to 2004 black-box warnings.
- These findings highlight a significant shift in antidepressant therapy utilization patterns.
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