- THURSDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) — Between 2002 and 2005, the
number of prescriptions filled for antidepressant drugs increased from 154
million to 170 million, according to a report released Thursday by the
U.S. government.

The analysis, by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, of
antidepressant prescriptions (not including refills) written after doctors
talked with patients in-person or over the phone found that in
2005:

• 29 percent of prescriptions were written by psychiatrists — medical
  doctors who specialize in the treatment of mental disorders.
• 23 percent came from general practitioners — physicians who provide
  primary care but are specialty-trained.
• 21 percent came from family practitioners — primary care physicians
  who complete a residency in family medicine.
• 10 percent came from internal medicine specialists — physicians who
  complete a residency in internal medicine and who focus on the diagnosis
  and non-surgical treatment of adults with illnesses that are difficult to
  diagnose or manage.

The data used in the summary are from the Medical Expenditure Panel
Survey of health services used by Americans.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about antidepressants.