From 1999 to 2010 the whole rise in US antidepressant use was people staying on for two years or more
Long-term use (24 months or more) rose from 3.0 to 6.9 percent of adults. Short-term use went from 2.2 to 1.8 percent. The increase was limited to patients of general medical providers.
Reasonable evidence with real limitations. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Repeated cross-sections, not the same people followed over time, so duration is self-reported at one interview. Longer use may partly reflect guideline advice to continue treatment after recurrent episodes.
The number of Americans on antidepressants grew for a decade. This study asked whether more people were starting or fewer were stopping.
Significant findings
Mojtabai and Olfson (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2014) used six waves of the national health examination survey, 35,379 adults. "The overall prevalence of antidepressant use increased from 6.5% in 1999-2000 to 10.4% in 2009-2010".
"This included an increase from 3.0% to 6.9% in long-term use (≥ 24 months; OR = 2.12; 95% CI, 1.75-2.57; P < .001). Medium-term (6 to < 24 months; from 1.3% to 1.6%) and short-term use (< 6 months; from 2.2% to 1.8%) of antidepressants did not change appreciably in this period."
"The increasing trend in long-term antidepressant use was limited to adults who received their care from general medical providers (adjusted OR = 3.86".
The authors: "there was a marked increase in long-term use of antidepressant medications in the United States, explaining the overall increasing trend in antidepressant use. This trend calls for greater vigilance in prescribing antidepressants for long periods of time."
Worth asking
This is the closest thing to a measured answer on whether people leave once they start: the door in stayed the same size and the door out got smaller. The approval trials lasted about eight weeks. The stopping trial in this library found that 56 percent of long-term users relapsed within a year of a supervised taper against 39 percent who stayed on, and withdrawal symptoms are easy to mistake for relapse. Staying on can be the right choice. It should be a choice somebody reviews. Never stop an antidepressant on your own.
Source
National trends in long-term use of antidepressant medications: results from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey — Mojtabai R, Olfson M (2014)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.13m08443
DOI: 10.4088/JCP.13m08443
How this was scored
- Study design
- Cross-sectional study / survey
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 35,379
- Preregistered
- not recorded
- Conflicts disclosed
- not recorded
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published September 21, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
veisund rates this source "moderate evidence". Reasonable evidence with real limitations. It scores 59 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Repeated cross-sections, not the same people followed over time, so duration is self-reported at one interview. Longer use may partly reflect guideline advice to continue treatment after recurrent episodes. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
National trends in long-term use of antidepressant medications: results from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey — Mojtabai R, Olfson M (2014). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.4088/JCP.13m08443. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Cross-sectional study / survey. Funding: Independently funded. Independence from the proponent is not recorded. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.