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Monday, Nov. 11, 2024

Are 40% of children taking antidepressants?

Tom Kertscher, Wisconsin Watch

no

Less than 8% of minors in the U.S. use antidepressant prescription drugs, the latest data indicate.

Robert Kennedy Jr., campaigning in Milwaukee for former President Donald Trump, claimed that “40% of our kids are on antidepressants.”

Two Kennedy organizations did not provide information to back his claim.

A 2022 federal estimate based on surveys done from 2013 to 2018 said 6.6% of individuals ages 3–17 used a psychotropic medication such as an antidepressant during the previous 30 days.

In 2022, 2 million adolescents ages 12-17 filled at least one antidepressant prescription, according to a 2024 University of Michigan-led study. That’s 7.9%.

Also in 2022, antidepressants were obtained for 2.7% of children 17 and under, according to a federal agency.

Antidepressant are often effective in treating depression and anxiety in children and teenagers, but rarely “there can be severe side effects,” including suicidal thinking, according to Mayo Clinic.

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