Child Antidepressant Use Skyrockets

Antidepressant drug use is up, especially among kids age 5 and younger.

The new numbers come from the databases of Express Scripts Inc., the third largest U.S. pharmacy benefit manager. The sample includes nearly 2 million kids aged 18 and younger covered by medical insurance from 1998 to 2002.

Teen girls are more likely to get antidepressants than any other group, but the fastest increase is among kids 5 years old and younger. For these children antidepressant use is up 100% to 0.16% of girls and up 62% to 0.23% of boys, says Tom Delate [pronounced DELL-at], PhD, Express Scripts' director of research.

"In teenagers, antidepressant use is really exploding," Delate tells WebMD. "Antidepressant use among the very young is increasing even more rapidly. Their rate of use is much lower than among older children -- but we're seeing a doubling of population using it."

Among the findings, reported in the April issue of Psychiatric Services:

* Overall child antidepressant use increased by 9.2% each year from 1998 to 2002.
* Antidepressant prescriptions are increasing faster for girls than for boys.
* Serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors -- SSRIs such as Celexa, Luvox, Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft -- are more commonly prescribed for child patients than other antidepressants.
* Paxil use increased 113% in girls and 91% in boys from 1998 to 2002.
* Data show doctors prescribe antidepressants more for depression than for anxiety disorders.