Woman. Sadness. Depression. Stress. Illustration photo
Prague – According to data from the Association of Health Insurance Companies (SZP), almost 700,000 people in the Czech Republic are being treated for depression or anxiety. Drug consumption grew by seven percent year-on-year twice in a row, faster than in previous years. Over the past 20 years, the consumption of antidepressants and anxiolytics has increased sixfold. The union announced this in a press release today.
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In general, it can be seen that the consumption of medicines has grown by five percent every year, even by seven percent in the last two years, which is probably related to the more demanding socio-economic situation supported by factors such as covid, the war in Ukraine or high inflation, said the expert for union health policy Ludmila Plšková.
The number of people who have sought help for depression or anxiety has tripled in the last two years, and today roughly one in ten women and about six men in a hundred suffer from an anxiety disorder or depression. Increased stress factors such as the covid epidemic, the war in Ukraine or sharp price increases may also be to blame.
Depression is a serious, long-lasting mental disorder manifested by a reduction or disappearance of the ability to experience pleasure, depressed moods and pathological sadness. Anxiety is a combination of emotions, including fear, foreboding and fear. It is usually accompanied by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, a feeling of nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath or hand tremors.
According to a report by the Center for Economic and Market Analysis in the Czech Republic, the consumption of antidepressants was more than 64 doses in 2019 per 1000 inhabitants every day. “It is gratifying that modern antidepressants are being prescribed more often, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which have fewer side effects than previously used medicinal products. The result is a better quality of life for treated people,” Plšková added.
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