NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 283 ■ August 2017

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

Antidepressant Use Among Persons Aged 12 and Over:

United States, 2011–2014

Laura A. Pratt, Ph.D., Debra J. Brody, M.P.H., and Qiuping Gu, M.D., Ph.D.

Key findings 

Data from the National 

Health and Nutrition 

Examination Survey

● During 2011–2014, 12.7% of

persons aged 12 and over, 8.6%

of males, and 16.5% of females

took antidepressant medication

in the past month.

● For both males and females,

non-Hispanic white persons

were more likely to take

antidepressant medication

compared with those of other

race and Hispanic-origin

groups.

● One-fourth of persons

who took antidepressant

medication had done so for 10

years or more.

● Antidepressant use increased

from 1999 to 2014. 

Antidepressants are one of the three most commonly used therapeutic drug 

classes in the United States (1). While the majority of antidepressants are 

taken to treat depression, antidepressants can also be taken to treat other 

conditions, like anxiety disorders. This Data Brief provides the most recent 

estimates of antidepressant use in the U.S. noninstitutionalized population, 

including prevalence of use by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, and length 

of use. This report also describes trends in the prevalence of antidepressant use 

from 1999–2002 to 2011–2014.

Keywords: depression medication • prescription drugs • NHANES

In 2011–2014, 12.7% of persons aged 12 and over reported 

antidepressant medication use in the past month.

● Overall and in each age group, females were about twice as likely as

males to take antidepressant medication (Figure 1).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1. Percentage of persons aged 12 and over who took antidepressant medication in the 

past month, by age and sex: United States, 2011–2014

1

Statistically significant trend by age. 

2

Significantly lower than females in all age groups.

3

Significantly lower than the older age groups. 

4

Each age group is significantly different from all other age groups.

NOTE: Access data table for Figure 1 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db283_table.pdf#1.

SOURCE: NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011–2014. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 283 ■ August 2017

■  2  ■

● Overall, antidepressant use increased with age, from 3.4% among persons aged 12–19 to 

19.1% among persons aged 60 and over. Increased use with age occurred among both males 

and females.

During 2011–2014, non-Hispanic white persons were more likely to take 

antidepressant medication in the past month compared with other race and 

Hispanic groups.

● Among persons aged 12 and over, non-Hispanic white persons were five times more likely 

than non-Hispanic Asian persons to have taken antidepressant medication in the past month 

(16.5% compared with 3.3%) and three times more likely than Hispanic (5.0%) and 

non-Hispanic black (5.6%) persons (Figure 2).

● Females in every race and Hispanic-origin group were significantly more likely than males 

of the same race and Hispanic-origin group to have taken antidepressant medication.

● More non-Hispanic white females took antidepressants than females of any other race and 

Hispanic-origin group.

 

 

1

Significantly lower than all other race and Hispanic-origin groups.

2

Significantly higher than all other race and Hispanic-origin groups.

3

Significantly lower than females in each race and Hispanic-origin group. 

4

Significantly higher than non-Hispanic Asian females.

NOTE: Access data table for Figure 2 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db283_table.pdf#2.

SOURCE: NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011–2014.

Figure 2. Percentage of persons aged 12 and over who took antidepressant medication in the past month, by sex and 

race and Hispanic origin: United States, 2011–2014

 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 283 ■ August 2017

■  3  ■

One-fourth of persons who took antidepressant medication in the past 

month had been doing so for 10 years or more.

● During 2011–2014, 68.0% of persons aged 12 and over who took antidepressant medication 

had been taking antidepressants for 2 years or more (Figure 3).

● During 2011–2014, 21.4% of males and 27.2% of females had been taking antidepressant 

medication for 10 years or more.

● There were no statistically significant differences between males and females in the length 

of antidepressant use.

 

NOTE: Access data table for Figure 3 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db283_table.pdf#3.

SOURCE: NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011–2014.

Figure 3. Length of antidepressant use among persons aged 12 and over, by sex: United States, 2011–2014

 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 283 ■ August 2017

■  4  ■

Antidepressant use increased from 1999 to 2014.

● Antidepressant use in the past month increased overall, from 7.7% in 1999–2002 to 

12.7% in 2011–2014 (Figure 4).

● The percentage increase in antidepressant use over time was similar among males 

and females.

● Females were approximately twice as likely as males to have taken antidepressant 

medication at all time points.

 

Figure 4. Trends in antidepressant use among persons aged 12 and over, by sex: United States, 1999–2014

1

Significant increasing trend.

2

Significantly higher than males for all years.

NOTE: Access data table for Figure 4 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db283_table.pdf#4.

SOURCE: NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2014.

 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 283 ■ August 2017

■  5  ■

Summary

During 2011–2014, about one in eight Americans aged 12 and over reported taking 

antidepressants in the previous month. Antidepressant use increased with age and was twice 

as common among females as males. Non-Hispanic white persons were more likely to take 

antidepressants than non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Asian persons.

Long-term antidepressant use was common. One-fourth of all people who took antidepressants in 

the past month reported having taken them for 10 years or more.

Antidepressant use increased nearly 65% over a 15-year time frame, from 7.7% in 1999–2002 to 

12.7% in 2011–2014. This increase was similar among males and females. At every time point, 

females were about twice as likely as males to report antidepressant use in the past month.

Definitions

Antidepressant medication: Prescription drugs were classified based on the three-level nested 

therapeutic classification scheme of Cerner Multum’s Lexicon (2). Antidepressants were 

identified using the second level of drug categorical codes, specifically code 249.

Length of use of antidepressants: Evaluated by asking participants how long they had been taking 

the medication. Among persons taking more than one antidepressant, the one they had taken the 

longest was included in the data shown in Figure 3.

Prescription drug use: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 

participants were asked if they had taken any prescription drug in the past 30 days. Those who 

answered “yes” were asked to show the interviewer the medication containers of all prescription 

drugs. For each drug reported, the interviewer recorded the product’s complete name from 

the container.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 283 ■ August 2017

■  6  ■

Data source and methods

This report is based on the analysis of data from the 14,034 persons aged 12 and over who 

participated in the NHANES 2011–2014 household interview. Of these participants, 13,951 

persons gave information on medication usage. Questions were administered in English 

and Spanish.

NHANES is a continuous survey conducted to assess the health and nutrition of the 

American people. The survey is designed to be nationally representative of the U.S. civilian 

noninstitutionalized population. Survey participants complete a household interview and visit a 

mobile examination center for a physical examination and private interview. The annual interview 

and examination sample includes approximately 5,000 persons of all ages.

For 2011–2012 and 2013–2014, non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic Asian, and Hispanic 

persons were oversampled to obtain reliable estimates for these population subgroups. Specific 

race and Hispanic-origin estimates reflect persons reporting only one race. Those reporting 

“other” race or more than one race are included in all figures except Figure 2, where they are not 

reported separately.

NHANES sample interview weights, which account for the differential probabilities of 

selection, nonresponse, and noncoverage were used for all analyses. Standard errors of the 

percentages were estimated using Taylor series linearization, a method that incorporates the 

sample design and weights.

Overall differences between groups were evaluated using the chi-square statistic. Where the 

chi-square test was significant, differences between subgroups were evaluated using the univariate 

t statistic. A test for linear trends was done to evaluate changes in the estimates by age in 

Figure 1 and over time in Figure 4. All significance tests were two-sided 0.05-level tests, with no 

adjustment for multiple comparisons. All comparisons reported are statistically significant at the 

0.05 level unless otherwise indicated. Data analyses were performed using SAS version 9.4 

(SAS Institute, Cary, N.C.) and SUDAAN version 11.0 (RTI International, Research Triangle 

Park, N.C.).

About the authors

Laura A. Pratt is with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Office of Analysis 

and Epidemiology. Debra J. Brody and Qiuping Gu are with the NCHS Division of Health and 

Nutrition Examination Surveys.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 283 ■ August 2017

■  7  ■

References

1. National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2015: With special feature 

on racial and ethnic health disparities. Table 80: Selected prescription drug classes used in the 

past 30 days, by sex and age: United States, selected years 1988–1994 through 2009–2012. 

Hyattsville, MD. 2016.

2. Multum Lexicon Drug Database. In: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: 

1988–2014 data documentation. Prescription medications–drug information (RXQ_DRUG). 

2016. Available from: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/Nchs/Nhanes/1999-2000/RXQ_DRUG.htm. 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 283 ■ August 2017

Suggested citation

Pratt LA, Brody DJ, Gu Q. Antidepressant 

use among persons aged 12 and over: United 

States, 2011–2014. NCHS data brief, no 

283. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for 

Health Statistics. 2017.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in 

the public domain and may be reproduced 

or copied without permission; citation as to 

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health 

Statistics

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., M.B.A., Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate Director for 

Science

Office of Analysis and Epidemiology

Irma E. Arispe, Ph.D., Director

Makram Talih, Ph.D., Associate Director for 

Science

Division of Health and Nutrition Examination 

Surveys

Kathryn S. Porter, M.D., M.S., Director

Ryne Paulose-Ram, Ph.D., Associate Director for 

Science

For e-mail updates on NCHS publication 

releases, subscribe online at: 

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/govdelivery.htm.

For questions or general information

about NCHS:

Tel: 1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636)

TTY: 1–888–232–6348

Internet: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs 

Online request form: https://www.cdc.gov/info

ISSN 1941–4927 Print ed.

ISSN 1941–4935 Online ed.

DHHS Publication No. 2017–1209

CS280829

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Center for Health Statistics 

3311 Toledo Road, Room 4551, MS P08

Hyattsville, MD 20782–2064

OFFICIAL BUSINESS 

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

For more NCHS Data Briefs, visit:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs.htm.

FIRST CLASS MAIL 

POSTAGE & FEES PAID 

CDC/NCHS

PERMIT NO. G-284