US Pharm. 2017;42(1):12.
Alexandria, VA, and Ottawa, ON—In a research letter published online by JAMA Internal Medicine, Institute for Safe Medication Practices and Risk Sciences International investigators noted that approximately one in six adults in the United States reported taking psychiatric drugs at least once in 2013. Data from the 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were used to calculate percentages of adults taking antidepressants; antipsychotics; and anxiolytics, sedatives, and hypnotics (ASHs). Antidepressant use was reported by 12% of participants, 1.6% reported antipsychotic use, and 8.3% reported filling prescriptions for ASHs. The use of psychiatric drugs increased with age, and women were more likely than men to report that they took psychiatric drugs. Use may be underestimated because prescriptions were self-reported.
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