Antidepressants and public health in Iceland

Tómas Helgason · Helgi Tómasson · Tómas Zoëga

116 citations0/0 files storedThe British Journal of Psychiatry

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Mental Health Treatment and Access Suicide and Self-Harm Studies Treatment of Major Depression

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder is the second leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years in developed regions of the world and antidepressants are the third-ranking therapy class worldwide. AIMS: To test the public health impact of the escalating sales of antidepressants. METHOD: Nationwide data from Iceland are used as an example to study the effect of sales of antidepressants on suicide, disability, hospital admissions and out-patient visits. RESULTS: Sales of antidepressants increased from 8.4 daily defined doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 1975 to 72.7 in 2000, which is a user prevalence of 8.7% for the adult population. Suicide rates fluctuated during 1950-2000 but did not show any definite trend. Rates for out-patient visits increased slightly over the period 1989-2000 and admission rates increased even more. The prevalence of disability due to depressive and anxiety disorders has not decreased over the past 25 years. CONCLUSIONS: The dramatic increase in the sales of antidepressants has not had any marked impact on the selected public health measures. Obviously, better treatment for depressive disorders is still needed in order to reduce the burden caused by them.

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References

2000Symptom Reduction and Suicide Risk in Patients Treated With Placebo in Antidepressant Clinical Trials 1998Changes in public attitudes to depression during the Defeat Depression Campaign 2000Suicide prevention — a medical breakthrough?1998The influence of age and sex on the prevalence of depressive conditions: report from the National Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity 2002Suicide 1997How are nations trying to prevent suicide? An analysis of national suicide prevention strategies 2000Changes in suicide in England and Wales, 1960–1997 1998Impact of improved depression treatment in primary care on daily functioning and disability

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2007Anti-depressants and Suicide 2004Trends in service use and treatment for mental disorders in adults throughout Great Britain 2008Antidepressant utilisation patterns and determinants of short-term and non-psychiatric use in the Finnish general adult population 2006Relationship between antidepressant sales and secular trends in suicide rates in the Nordic countries 2007Ecological Studies of Antidepressant Treatment and Suicidal Risks

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