It’s no secret that the amount of prescriptions filled for psychotropic medication has been increasing at a rapid pace. However, most people don’t really just how many people are taking these drugs and how much money is generated by their sale. The PsychCentral Newsroom had a great report on this topic, here is the thumbnail sketch:

“…spending on prescription drugs to treat depression, anxiety, pain, schizophrenia and other conditions climbed from $7.9 billion in 1997 to $20 billion in 2004.”

“During the same time period, overall prescriptions for psychotherapeutic drugs increased from 141.9 million to 244.3 million; the number of people prescribed at least one such drug rose from 21 million to 32.6 million; and the average price per purchase increased from $55.80 to $82.00.”

We are certainly in an era that supports using these types of medications, which are obviously effective at reducing some psychological syptoms for people. However, I often worry that people who are depressed, anxious, struggle with relationships, or can’t pay attention among many other thing that only take these drugs as a remedy will never understand the true core problems that create these symptoms, setting them up for a lifetime of relapse and long stints on medication.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 26 Apr 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.