Global consumption of antidepressant (AD) drugs has increased dramatically in the past two decades, with Europeans being the largest consumers.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, antidepressant use increased by nearly two and a half times from 2000 to 2020 in 18 European countries.
The average antidepressant consumption in 18 European countries in 2000 was 30.5 of the recommended daily dose, and rose to 75.3 in 2020, an increase of 147%.
But this overall average masks very large differences in antidepressant use in 2000 in some OECD countries, from 6.4 DDI in Estonia to 70.5 DDI in Iceland.
The Czech Republic also recorded the highest increase, at 577%, while it increased by only 38% in France, making the latter the least changed among these countries between 2000 and 2020.
On the other hand, this percentage increased by 304% in Portugal, 256% in Britain, 208% in Spain and 200% in Germany, during the same period.
A closer look at five selected countries – France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Sweden – over 20 years shows how the use of antidepressants has varied among them.
While the increase is very low in France, especially in the past 15 years, it has jumped rapidly in Portugal in the past two decades.
Which countries consume the most antidepressants?
In 2020, antidepressant drug consumption per 1,000 people per day varied from 20 in Latvia to 153 in Iceland, followed by Portugal with 131, Britain with 108, Sweden with 105 and Spain with 87.
The average use of these drugs in European countries was 68, but the 3 largest countries in terms of population had average consumption below average: Turkey (49), France (55), Germany (62).
What is the relationship between happiness and these drugs?
Data for European countries do not indicate that happier people use less antidepressants.
In Iceland, which was the second happiest country in the world in 2020 according to the World Happiness Report, it has the highest consumption of antidepressants in Europe.
Sweden, which ranked sixth in the happiness report, has the fourth highest use of antidepressants.
Finland, the happiest country according to the report, ranked seventh among 24 European countries in terms of the use of these drugs.
The impact of Covid on mental health
On the other hand, the study touched on the impact of the Corona epidemic on mental health in those countries, as it found that mental health has deteriorated significantly since the beginning of the Corona pandemic.
Since March 2020, the date the virus spread globally, anxiety and depression have increased in 15 OECD countries, including many European countries.
The prevalence of anxiety in early 2020 was more than double what was observed in previous years in Belgium, France, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
