That the consumption of antidepressants increases in Spain is no longer a novelty. Since the start of the century, annual growth has been around 5% on average. It is therefore not surprising that, as a new report published by the Ministry of Health reveals, daily doses of antidepressants have increased by 22.2% between 2019 and 2023.
Last year, the consumption rate of these drugs was 102.16 per 1,000 inhabitants. “Normality has increased, in the sense that it has become common,” he tells EL ESPAÑOL. Antonio Cano Vindelprofessor of psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Among the causes of this increase, he notes that, on the one hand, “there is no other way to deal with emotional problems.” But, “Do we really need an antidepressant to go to work or for everyday problems?“. The reality is that in “most cases” this can be avoided through psychological interventions.
Cano Videl himself participated in the PsicAP project. This study, carried out with primary care patients, demonstrated that effectiveness in the management of emotional disorders is greater when psychological therapy is included. The problem is that mental health has not been integrated into this context: “They started recruiting psychologists. But as long as there are more doctors prescribing antidepressants, the situation will not change much“.
You want an “immediate” solution
Added to this is the fact that doctors are overwhelmed by patient demand. “With five minutes for each They don’t have time to explain how emotions are managed it’s not his specialty either. So what he does is prescribe. » Some will have access to psychological treatment, even if it will not be done in the best conditions: “How are you going to learn something if you have had six sessions in 18 months?
For the pharmacist of the neuropsychiatry group of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH), Beatrice Salazarsociety today understands that having a problem of this type is synonymous with “immediately wanting medication”: “We don’t understand that there are other ways to solve this problem“.
Believes that with an increase in the number of specialists, antidepressant prescriptions could be reduced. “Most of the consumption comes from anxiety disorders and adaptive processes, that is to say two pathologies that could be treated with a clinical psychologist.” This medicalization of depression and anxiety disorders is not solely the responsibility of the professionals themselves. And sometimes they are patients who go to the doctor “to ask him to prescribe psychotropic drugs”.
The current context also leads to an increase in adjustment disorders and, consequently, the consumption of antidepressants. “We live better but in a more complex world“, says Cano Videl. “If at work you are asked to do more, even now from home, then you are depriving yourself of hours of sleep, leisure and self-care.”
The most “hooked” autonomous communities
The aforementioned health document also reflects the reality of the different autonomous communities. At the head stands Galicia (152.16), followed by the Principality of Asturias (149.97) and Extremadura (141.14). At the other extreme, we find the Basque Country (80.93), Madrid (83.48) and Navarra (93.68).
If all regions agree on one thing, it is that over the past four years, the consumption of antidepressants has increased as a percentage. The one experiencing the most pronounced increase is Canary Islandswith growth of 30.1%.
Experts believe that these differences between the autonomous communities may be due to several possible reasons. On the one hand, they have an older populationas happens precisely in Galicia and Asturias. “Those who use this type of drugs the most are the elderly,” explains Cano Vindel.
According to Health data, the consumption of antidepressants it increases after 70 years. The highest figure is in the 85 to 89 age group, with a crude rate of 246.2. In addition, the readings reflect higher consumption among women than among men. This could also explain why the oldest regions are the ones with the highest numbers, as they have a higher life expectancy in our country.
Another factor that comes into play is social class. People with lower cultural level and with a lower volume of income, they are generally the ones who consume the most of these psychotropic drugs. Therefore, those who have a higher cultural profile and who are also young “may ‘ditch’ antidepressants by opting for psychological treatment.”
Although no community has reduced its use of antidepressants, in the case of hypnotic and sedative substances, some show a downward trend. Among them, Cano Videl highlights Madrid And Navarre. In both cases, there are already psychologists who apply the PsicAP protocol. “It can’t be attributed to that alone, but there is data.”
These “psychological trainings” force people to engage in activities that they deem beneficial for their mental health. Whether it’s relaxation, walking or a social activity. “That is, doing the most normal things in the world, instead of fixing it by taking pills“, he concludes.
