By The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in antidepressant usage among young women, according to new research findings.
Prior to the pandemic’s onset in March 2020, the trend of young individuals resorting to antidepressants was already evident. However, this trend has intensified post-pandemic, as highlighted in a study featured in the Pediatrics journal on February 26.
Dr. Kao Ping Chua, a pediatrician and researcher at the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, analyzed data from 2016 to 2022 derived from a comprehensive national database. “We observed that the rate of antidepressant prescriptions for adolescents and young adults was climbing before March 2020, but the increase became nearly 64% more rapid afterward,” Dr. Chua conveyed to Fox News Digital.
This data, sourced from the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Database, which aggregates prescription information from the majority of U.S. retail pharmacies, revealed a striking disparity between genders. The study found that the surge in antidepressant use was exclusively due to young females. “For female adolescents aged 12 to 17, we noted a 130% faster increase in antidepressant dispensing post-March 2020 compared to prior, and a 57% faster increase among young adult females aged 18 to 25,” Dr. Chua stated.
Conversely, young males showed either a decrease or negligible change in antidepressant prescriptions, despite indications that the mental health of male adolescents deteriorated during the pandemic.
Dr. Chua expressed concern over this trend, suggesting it might indicate a lack of proper diagnosis and treatment for mental health issues in young males.
Marlene McDermott, LMFT, PhD, a Philadelphia-based therapist with Array Behavioral Care, attributes the rise to improved access to mental health care, enabling more teens to seek necessary treatment. Although not involved in the study, McDermott emphasized the importance of monitoring these trends to ascertain whether they represent a new norm or signal an escalating mental health crisis among teens.
“The reduction in the stigma surrounding mental health treatment is beneficial for adolescents,” McDermott added. “If antidepressant usage helps decrease suicide rates, it’s a positive development.”
Dr. Marissa Stridiron, M.D., from New Jersey and the medical director of acute care at Array Behavioral Care, noted a substantial increase in crisis visits to emergency rooms by children and adolescents during the pandemic. She highlighted the lack of early intervention from school-based resources, social isolation, increased social media use, and cyberbullying as contributing factors.
Despite a decrease in crisis visits as the pandemic subsides, the numbers remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. Stridiron praised the national media’s focus on psychiatric crises, leading to better access and earlier interventions, including from primary care physicians.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Chua, acknowledged its limitations, particularly its inability to definitively explain the changes in antidepressant use among adolescents and young adults during the pandemic. He specifically pointed out the unexplained decline in antidepressant prescriptions among male adolescents.
In light of these findings, researchers see a potential growing need for antidepressant medications and call for further research into these trends. Dr. Chua advised adolescents and young adults experiencing mental health symptoms to seek medical attention and encouraged parents to support them in this endeavor.
