The impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness, worry and unhappiness: cross-national comparison
Depression is a major public health concern. Depressed individuals have received increasing treatment with antidepressants in Western countries. In this study, we examine the relationship among individual symptoms (sadness, worry and unhappiness), human development factors and antidepressant use in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2023-11-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472423005768/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1827796444968386560 |
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| author | Roger T. Mulder Anthony F. Jorm |
| author_facet | Roger T. Mulder Anthony F. Jorm |
| author_sort | Roger T. Mulder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Depression is a major public health concern. Depressed individuals have received increasing treatment with antidepressants in Western countries. In this study, we examine the relationship among individual symptoms (sadness, worry and unhappiness), human development factors and antidepressant use in 29 OECD countries. We report that increased antidepressant prescribing is not associated with decreased prevalence of sadness, worry or unhappiness. However, income, education and life expectancy (measured using the Human Development Index) are associated with lower prevalence of all these symptoms. This suggests that increasing spending on depression treatment may not be as effective as general public health interventions at reducing depression in communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T19:06:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6fa6f81961064a8783d69a28305adf7c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T19:06:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-6fa6f81961064a8783d69a28305adf7c2023-10-10T07:07:46ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242023-11-01910.1192/bjo.2023.576The impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness, worry and unhappiness: cross-national comparisonRoger T. Mulder0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8147-5838Anthony F. Jorm1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1424-4116Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New ZealandMelbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaDepression is a major public health concern. Depressed individuals have received increasing treatment with antidepressants in Western countries. In this study, we examine the relationship among individual symptoms (sadness, worry and unhappiness), human development factors and antidepressant use in 29 OECD countries. We report that increased antidepressant prescribing is not associated with decreased prevalence of sadness, worry or unhappiness. However, income, education and life expectancy (measured using the Human Development Index) are associated with lower prevalence of all these symptoms. This suggests that increasing spending on depression treatment may not be as effective as general public health interventions at reducing depression in communities.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472423005768/type/journal_articleAntidepressantsdepressive disordersepidemiologystatistical methodologyrating scales |
| spellingShingle | Roger T. Mulder Anthony F. Jorm The impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness, worry and unhappiness: cross-national comparison BJPsych Open Antidepressants depressive disorders epidemiology statistical methodology rating scales |
| title | The impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness, worry and unhappiness: cross-national comparison |
| title_full | The impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness, worry and unhappiness: cross-national comparison |
| title_fullStr | The impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness, worry and unhappiness: cross-national comparison |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness, worry and unhappiness: cross-national comparison |
| title_short | The impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness, worry and unhappiness: cross-national comparison |
| title_sort | impact of antidepressants and human development measures on the prevalence of sadness worry and unhappiness cross national comparison |
| topic | Antidepressants depressive disorders epidemiology statistical methodology rating scales |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472423005768/type/journal_article |
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