According to a market research poll conducted between December 2020 and May 2023, the people of Seattle are more heavily medicated than ever to treat depression and anxiety.
Nielsen said that 18% of the adult population in the Seattle metro area, or roughly 581,000 people, responded that they had purchased medication for depression or anxiety in the past 12 months, according to reporting from the Seattle Times. It is a jump from 2018-2020 surveys that showed 14.5% has purchased the meds.
Among young adults, ages 18 to 34, about 21% in Seattle said they used medication for depression or anxiety in the past 12 months, up from 14% from January 2018-May 2020, according to the newspaper.
Other age groups in the Seattle area showed an increasing use of anti-depressants, except for those ages 65 and older, in which the data showed no real change.
“Young adults are now the age group with the highest rate of using medications for depression or anxiety in the Seattle area,” the newspaper reported.
The Seattle metro area includes King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, and has an adult population in excess of 3.2 million. Nielsen surveyed 6,330 people in the Seattle area for the new data release, the newspaper said.
