HEALTH
New national data shows around 9 percent of people in Denmark made use of a medical prescription for antidepressant medicine in 2021.
Published: 28 February 2023 16:59 CET
The number comes from a Statistics Denmark analysis of on use of antidepressant medicines.
Some 12 percent of women used a prescription for antidepressants at some point during 2021, according to the analysis. The figure for men was 7 percent.
That corresponds to around 280,000 women and 158,000 men.
The higher number among women than men has been a constant element in each year covered by the analysis since it began in 2011.
“We know for example that women go to the doctor more often than men, so that can mean they also more frequently get a prescription for antidepressants,” Statistics Denmark special consultant Fenja Søndergaard Møller said in a press statement.
The difference between men and women also increases with age, while the proportion of people who take antidepressants generally increases with age and is highest for persons over the age of 80.
But the difference is not necessarily evidence that younger generations have better mental health, the statistics agency writes.
“The difference could be due to factors including a difference approach to treatment in young people compared to older people. That could include a greater tendency towards young people being offered a different form of treatment to antidepressants,” the analysis states.
“At the same time, young people are less common users of other types of medicine while older persons often have more regular contact with health services,” it states.
The total number of people who are prescribed antidepressants has not increased since 2011. The level was lower in 2021 than in 2011 for all age groups, at just over 10 percent in 2011 compared to 9 percent two years ago.
READ ALSO: Experts call for Denmark to spend billions on mental health services