12.7%
The percentage of the U.S. population over age 12 who took antidepressant medication in the past month, according to an analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics. Most antidepressants are used to treat depression, while some are prescribed for other conditions.1
64%
The increase in the perecentage of people using antidepressants between 1999 and 2014. In 1999, 7.7 percent of the population took the medication.
19.1%
The percentage of older adults (over age 60) who took antidepressants in the past month. Antidepressant use increases with age. These medications are used by 16.6 percent of people ages 40 to 59, 7.8 percent of those ages 20 to 39, and 3.4 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 19.
2 times
Women are twice as likely as men to take antidepressant medication (16.5 percent compared with 8.6 percent). Women are more likely than men to take antidepressants in every age group.
16.5%
The percentage of non-Hispanic white Americans taking antidepressants, about three times as much as any other race or ethnic group. By comparison, 5.6 percent of non-Hispanic black Americans, 5 percent of Hispanic Americans, and 3.4 percent of non-Hispanic Asian-Americans took antidepressants in the past month.
1Pratt L.A., Brody D.J., & Gu Q. Antidepressant use among persons aged 12 and over: United States, 2011–14. NCHS Data Brief, No. 283. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2017.