QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥20 Years Who Used Antidepressant Medications* in the Past 30 Days, by Sex and Marital Status — National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 2015–2018
Weekly / October 23, 2020 / 69(42);1555
* The names of prescription medications taken in the last 30 days were obtained from containers reviewed during the household interview. Antidepressants were identified using a database from the medical information provider, Cerner Multum, Inc.
During 2015–2018, 13.6% of adults aged ≥20 years used prescription antidepressant medications in the past 30 days. Antidepressant use was higher among divorced, separated, or widowed (20.5%) adults than among either married or living with partner (12.3%) or never married (10.8%) adults. There was no difference in use between married and never married adults. These same patterns were observed for both men and women. Within every marital status category, a higher percentage of women compared with men took antidepressants.
Source: Brody DJ, Gu Q. Antidepressant use among adults: United States, 2015–2018. NCHS Data Brief, no 377. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2020.
Reported by: Debra J. Brody, MPH, 301-458-4116, djb4@cdc.gov; Qiuping Gu, PhD.
Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥20 Years Who Used Antidepressant Medications in the Past 30 Days, by Sex and Marital Status — National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 2015–2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1555. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6942a8.