Are Antidepressants Too Widely Used?

Many Americans may take antidepressants for the wrong reasons, a study suggests. The study used data from national surveys. More than 20,000 U.S. adults were interviewed. About 1 out of 10 said they had taken antidepressants in the last year. But 1 out of 4 people taking the drugs had not been diagnosed with one of the illnesses they usually treat. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry published the study. Reuters Health news service wrote about it February 4.