TY  - JOUR
T1  - NAtional patterns in antidepressant medication treatment
AU  - Olfson M, Marcus SC
Y1  - 2009/08/01
N1  - 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.81
JO  - Archives of General Psychiatry
SP  - 848
EP  - 856
VL  - 66
IS  - 8
N2  - Context 
    Antidepressants have recently become the most commonly prescribed class of medications in the United States.Objective 
    To compare sociodemographic and clinical patterns of antidepressant medication treatment in the United States between 1996 and 2005.Design 
    Analysis of antidepressant use data from the 1996 (n = 18 993) and 2005 (n = 28 445) Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys.Setting 
    Households in the United States.Participants 
    Respondents aged 6 years or older who reported receiving at least 1 antidepressant prescription during that calendar year.Main Outcome Measures 
    Rate of antidepressant use and adjusted rate ratios (ARRs) of year effect on rate of antidepressant use adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, annual family income, self-perceived mental health, and insurance status.Results 
    The rate of antidepressant treatment increased from 5.84% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.47-6.23) in 1996 to 10.12% (9.58-10.69) in 2005 (ARR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.55-1.81), or from 13.3 to 27.0 million persons. Significant increases in antidepressant use were evident across all sociodemographic groups examined, except African Americans (ARR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.89-1.44), who had comparatively low rates of use in both years (1996, 3.61%; 2005, 4.51%). Although antidepressant treatment increased for Hispanics (ARR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.60-1.90), it remained comparatively low (1996, 3.72%; 2005, 5.21%). Among antidepressant users, the percentage of patients treated for depression did not significantly change (1996, 26.25% vs 2005, 26.85%; ARR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.83-1.07), although the percentage of patients receiving antipsychotic medications (5.46% vs 8.86%; ARR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.31-2.38) increased and those undergoing psychotherapy declined (31.50% vs 19.87%; ARR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.56-0.72).Conclusions 
    From 1996 to 2005, there was a marked and broad expansion in antidepressant treatment in the United States, with persisting low rates of treatment among racial/ethnic minorities. During this period, individuals treated with antidepressants became more likely to also receive treatment with antipsychotic medications and less likely to undergo psychotherapy.
SN  - 0003-990X
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.81
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.81
ER  -