Belgium (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Antidepressant use among Belgian youth has surged, increasing by 60% from 2013 to 2022, particularly post-pandemic. Despite this rise, only 1.6% of teens used them, well below adult rates.
After Croatia, Belgium has many young folks (aged 15–19) taking meds compared to other European countries. The Independent Health Insurance Funds are looking into this to learn more about why so many young people in Belgium are on medication. In 2013, nearly 55% of teens were taking meds, but by 2022, it dropped to under 50%. That’s a 10% drop in the use of reimbursed drugs over ten years. Meanwhile, more folks started using antidepressants during this period.
What Factors Contribute to Rising Antidepressant Use Among Belgian Teens?
The number of people using these drugs went up by 60%. Over half of this increase happened in the year following the start of the disease. This rise is mainly because young people felt socially isolated during this time. Even though more young people are taking antidepressants, the overall number is still little. The percentage of users increased from 1% to 1.6%. This is way lower than the percentage of adults taking antidepressants, which is 9.4% in 2022.
