Use of Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Drugs in Scandinavian Countries between 2006 and 2021: A Prescription Database Study

Table 4

Time trends in therapeutic intensity (TI; DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day) and relative change in TI (in %) of antidepressants by drug class and country from 2006 to 2021.

Drug group	DDD/1000 inhabitants/day						Relative change (%)^a	^b
	2006	2009	2012	2015	2018	2021
Antidepressants (N06A)
Norway	49.0	51.6	53.2	53.5	53.0	55.4	+13.1
Sweden	69.7	74.1	81.1	92.5	98.7	108.9	+56.2
Denmark	63.8	77.1	82.1	76.0	75.7	83.8	+31.3	≥0.05
TCA (N06AA)
Norway	3.6	3.5	3.4	3.4	3.3	3.6	—
Sweden	3.8	3.5	3.4	3.4	3.6	4.1	+7.9	≥0.05
Denmark	4.2	4.4	4.7	4.3	3.8	3.6	-14.3	≥0.05
SSRI (N06AB)
Norway	32.6	34.6	35.5	35.1	33.8	34.7	+6.4	≥0.05
Sweden	50.5	52.4	56.0	62.5	65.1	71.4	+41.4
Denmark	44.1	52.8	52.4	47.1	46.7	52.5	+19.0	≥0.05
Other antidepressants (N06AX)
Norway	12.5	13.3	14.1	14.9	15.9	17.1	+36.8
Sweden	15.2	18.0	21.5	26.6	29.9	33.3	+119.1
Denmark	15.2	19.8	24.9	24.5	25.1	27.6	+81.6

Abbreviations: DDD: defined daily doses; TCA: tricyclic antidepressants; SSRI: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The table displays data points every three years for ease of presentation, but the statistical trend analysis and graphs are based on data from each year. Notes: Data in the 2021 column and relative change (%) for Norway were calculated for 2020 as this was the last year with publicly available prescription data. Data in the 2021 column and relative change (%) for remaining countries were calculated for 2021.Data from Sweden include both sales at community pharmacies and hospital use, while data from remaining countries cover only sales at community pharmacies. ^aPercentage differences in the year 2021 compared to the year 2006. ^bJonckheere-Terpstra trend test value for trend a.