In the second lockdown (which started in December), GPs more often prescribed antidepressants to young people aged 15 to 24. Compared to 2019 (before the corona crisis), the number was almost 8 percent higher. That emerges from investigation of the Nivel (Netherlands Institute for Healthcare Research).
Nivel saw that in the first lockdown the prescription of antidepressants remained the same as in 2019. But in the second lockdown the average increase was 2.5 percent, and among young people 7.9 percent.
Do not go directly to the doctor
For the study, Nivel looked at the prescriptions of some 350 general practices that are “representative of the Netherlands”. The rise among young people started in the course of the second lockdown. “There may have been some time between the introduction of corona measures and the effect on the psychological health of young people,” the researchers say. “In addition, patients may not have immediately gone to the GP if they have complaints.”
Furthermore, general practitioners generally do not immediately prescribe medication if someone has psychological complaints. According to Nivel, the fact that there is now an increase shows that there were “serious and long-lasting problems”. “For example, in the treatment of anxiety disorders, antidepressants are only advised in severe suffering or when education, self-help and cognitive behavioral therapy prove not to be sufficiently effective.”
One in four
More young adults than before suffered in the first half of this year with psychological problems, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). One in four people between the ages of 18 and 25 was psychologically unhealthy in the first half of 2021.
According to the CBS, someone is classified as psychologically unhealthy if, for example, they often feel gloomy, nervous and experience a lot of stress. According to the latest figures, young adults suffer from such complaints more often than other age groups.
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