Use of antidepressants has skyrocketed in recent years, even as rates of depression continue to climb. Which is a rather severe indictment on how well these drugs actually work. Here are some other facts and statistics on antidepressant use in the United States:

1. Antidepressant use among Americans has skyrocketed in recent years. Adults in the S. consumed 4-times more antidepressants in the late 2000s than they did in the early 1990s. (Calderone, 2014)

2. There was a 400% increase in antidepressant use between 1998 and 2008, making antidepressants the most frequently used medication by those ages 18 to 44. Overall, 11% of Americans age 12 and older took antidepressants during the 2005 to 2008 study period. (Lloyd, 2011)

3. Women are 2 ½ times as likely to take antidepressants as men. (Weil, 2013)

4. Less than one-third of Americans taking one antidepressant and less than one half of those taking multiple antidepressants have seen a mental health professional in the past year (Lloyd, 2011), even though experts say you shouldn’t be on the drugs if you’re not also seeing a therapist.

5. Four in five antidepressant prescriptions are not written by psychiatrists but by general practitioners. (Holland, 2015)

6. Antidepressants brought in $9.6 billion in sales in 2008 in the S. alone. (Begley, 2010)

7. The number of Americans on an antidepressant continues to rise as the number in psychotherapy continues to decline, despite strong evidence showing the latter is much more effective than the former. (Szabo, 8-4-2009) Around 10% of all Americans – or 27 million people – were taking an antidepressant in 2005. According to a 2011 report by the National Center for Health Statistics, it had edged slightly higher, to more than 1 in every 10 Americans 12 or older. (Kwon, 2016)

8. It’s estimated that a whopping 23% of women in their 40’s and 50’s are on an antidepressant. (Boyce, 2016)