
A new report on the use of psychiatric drugs showed something that surprised experts.
An astonishing report that has been released by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that a huge number of adults are taking psychiatric drugs. The study found that one in six U.S. adults take psychiatric medication to deal with depression, anxiety, insomnia and other issues.
Researchers discovered that in 2013, about 17 percent of adults filled a prescription for antidepressants like Zoloft, anxiety medications like Xanax, sleep medicine like Ambien, or antipsychotics.
“From a drug safety perspective, I am concerned that so many of these drugs have withdrawal effects and that some of the overwhelming long-term use may reflect drug dependence,” said study co-author Thomas Moore according to a UPI report.
“The use of psychotropic medication has become an issue of increasing concern in the U.S., both due to lack of clarity of the medical target of some psychotropic treatment, as well as the rising costs of health,” said Dr. Shawna Newman according to UPI, who wasn’t involved in the study. “The overwhelming preponderance of prescriptions for psychotropic medications are written by non-psychiatrists.”
About 12 percent of those in the study took an antidepressant, the most common medication, while another 8 percent reported getting a prescription for anxiety meds. White people were most likely to take the medications (21 percent).
The findings were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on Dec. 12.
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