Dentists should be aware of rising antidepressant use

The use of antidepressants in the U.K. has more than doubled over the past two decades, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry (October 7, 2019). This is a statistic that dental professionals should be mindful of during patient consultations for oral procedures.

The researchers, led by Antony Arthur, PhD, from the University of East Anglia, investigated the prevalence of depression and the use of antidepressants in seniors age 65 years and older throughout the U.K. in the early 1990s and 2000s. They found that the percentage of patients taking antidepressants rose to 10.7% between 2008 and 2011, compared with 4.2% between 1990 and 1993, despite no changes in the prevalence of depression.

"[Access to] newer antidepressants means that it is easier to treat older people for depression, but it is disappointing that increases in the proportion [of people] receiving antidepressants isn't reflected in any real decrease in the prevalence of depression," Arthur said in a statement.