The onset of the Covid pandemic resulted in a notable surge in the usage of antidepressants by young females.

New York, 26 february (ozi news desk):  A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics revealed that the use of antidepressants significantly increased among adolescents and young adults, especially girls, following the onset of the Covid pandemic. The study found that the rate of antidepressant use rose by nearly 64% faster after March 2020 among individuals aged 12 to 25. Lead author Kao Ping Chua, a researcher at the University of Michigan Health CS Mott Children’s Hospital, emphasized that these trends were already on the rise before the pandemic but were further accelerated during this time. Interestingly, the increase in antidepressant use was primarily driven by females, with a 130% faster rate among girls aged 12 to 17 and a 60% faster rate among females aged 18 to 25. This suggests that the pandemic exacerbated an existing mental health crisis among this group, as studies have consistently shown higher rates of anxiety and depression among female adolescents during this period. Surprisingly, the study found that the antidepressant dispensing rate remained relatively unchanged among male young adults and even declined among male adolescents, which raises questions about the overall mental health impact on males during the pandemic.