Global consumption of antidepressant drugs (AD) has increased dramatically in the last two decades, with Europeans the largest consumers.Use of antidepressants increased by nearly two and a half times from 2000 to 2020 in 18 European countries, according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data.OECD data also shows a dramatic increase in anxiety and depression during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Do the happiest countries use fewer AD drugs? How do researchers explain the sharp rise in the consumption of antidepressants?OECD datasets demonstrates the defined daily dose (DDD) consumption of “N06A-Antidepressants”.
This group “comprises preparations used in the treatment of endogenous and exogenous depressions,” according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).The average antidepressant consumption across 18 European countries was 30.5 DDD per 1,000 people per day in 2000 rising to 75.3 DDD in 2020, a 147 per cent increase.But this overall average conceals very different starting points for antidepressant use in 2000 in certain countries, ranging from 6.4 DDD in Estonia to 70.5 DDD in Iceland.
The Czech Republic recorded the highest increase with 577 per cent while it only rose by 38 per cent in France making it the lowest change in these countries between 2000 and 2020, albeit from a relatively high level.It rose by 304 per cent in Portugal, 256 per cent in the United Kingdom, 208 per cent in Spain and 200 per cent in Germany in the same period.A closer look at five selected countries –France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden - over 20 years demonstrates how the use of antidepressant pharmaceuticals varies.