Vector One finds antidepressant scripts for teens fell in last four years

YARDLEY, Pa. Total prescriptions of antidepressant drugs for teenagers age 13 to 17 decreased nearly 18 percent between July 2003 and July 2007, according to Verispan’s Vector One.

On the other hand, antidepressant prescriptions for patients 18 and older have grown about 13 percent during the same four-year period.

Verispan’s Physician Drug & Diagnosis Audit reports that visits by teenagers to physicians for depression decreased 23 percent in the past four years. Visits by teenage males dropped by 5 percent more than females. The percentage of teenage visits to doctors for depression where a prescription was issued dropped from 85 percent in the 12 months ending July 2004 to 69 percent in the 12 months ending July 2007.