Antidepressants and Age

David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald
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Andrew Oswald: University of Warwick

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: Antidepressants as a commodity have been remarkably little-studied by economists. This study shows in new data for 27 European countries that 8% of people (and 10% of those middle-aged) take antidepressants each year. The probability of antidepressant use is greatest among those who are middle-aged, female, unemployed, poorly educated, and divorced or separated. A hill-shaped age pattern is found. The adjusted probability of using antidepressants reaches a peak -- approximately doubling -- in people?s late 40s. This finding is consistent with, and provides a new and independent form of corroboration of, recent claims in the research literature that human well-being follows a U-shape through life

Keywords: Well-being; aging; mental health; depression; happiness; Easterlin paradox (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/resear ... ns/44-2011oswald.pdf

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Working Paper: Antidepressants and Age (2011)
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