One in 25 Adolescents on Antidepressants, Says Study

By CP News Briefs, Thursday, October 20, 2011

A new study shows that one in 25 adolescents in America are taking antidepressants. The government study, carried out by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, screened 12,000 Americans aged between 12 and 17 during 2005-2008.

According to research statistics, one in 10 adults in the U.S. take antidepressants. It is the number one prescription for adults aged 18-44.

However, only a third of the people in the study with depression symptoms were taking medication, according to researchers.

According to AP, CDC epidemiologist Laura Pratt said that the research shows "there's a lot of people who are seriously ill who aren't getting treated.”

She continued: “Curiously, rates of antidepressant use were about the same in different income groups, even though earlier research had shown higher rates of depression among the poor.”

The research also showed that women use antidepressants more than men.

Over 60 percent of Americans on antidepressants have taken it for two years or longer, and almost 14 percent have been on the drug for 10 or more years.