Scientists recorded a sharp increase in the use of antidepressants among young people after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – News

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Antidepressant prescribing rates for young people (ages 12 to 25) have increased dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend is especially noticeable among girls.

In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, scientists say that since March 2020, the rate of prescription of antidepressants in the United States has increased by almost 64%, writes CNN.

“During the pandemic, I realized that I was prescribing antidepressants more often than ever before. I can’t even count how many pediatricians have told me that it makes them feel like psychiatric clinicians.” – says the author of the study, Dr. Cao-Ping Chua. He is also a primary care pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

According to him, during this period, the level of prescription of antidepressants increased especially among teenage girls aged 12 to 17 years – by 130%. For girls aged 18 to 25, this indicator has increased by 60%.

“At the same time, we see that after March 2020, the level of prescription of antidepressants to young men has not changed, and among teenage boys we see a surprising decrease.” – adds the researcher.

“In the second year of the pandemic, emergency room visits for poor mental health among young people have increased, and we have seen a surge in visits for suicide attempts or self-harm, particularly among teenage girls,” says Dr. Neha Chaudhary, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Gender differences are what struck me the most”, says Dr. Cao-Ping Chua.

Among the reasons for this trend, researchers name pandemic stress factors: loss of loved ones, transition to virtual learning and lack of social life, etc.

In addition, increased mental health awareness and reduced stigma may have encouraged more young people to seek help with their problems from family doctors or psychotherapists.

We previously wrote that mild COVID-19 increases the likelihood of insomnia in people with anxiety or depression.