SAN DIEGO — Between 1990 and 2001, the number of children and adolescents diagnosed with depression increased 2.4-fold, and the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors increased from 21% to 40%, Linda M. Robison reported during a poster session at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
In a study led by her associate, David A. Sclar, B.Pharm, of the Washington State University College of Pharmacy in Pullman, Wash, U.S. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data were used to determine the population-adjusted rates of office-based physician visits that resulted in a diagnosis of depression in patients aged 5–18 years between 1990 and 2001.
Over the 12-year time period, the population-adjusted rate of depression increased 2.4-fold, from 12.9 per 1,000 patients to 31.1 per 1,000 patients.
At the same time, the number of patients who were prescribed an antidepressant increased from 44% in 1990–1993 to 59% in 1998–2001. The use of SSRIs increased from 21% in 1990–1993 to 40% in 1998–2001, while the use of tricyclic antidepressants fell from 21% to 3%.
The study was supported by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression.