Economic crisis is damaging mental health! Antidepressant use has reached serious levels

CHP Deputy Chairman Burhanettin Bulut stated that antidepressant use in Turkey has increased by 75 percent over the last 10 years. He noted that antidepressant use, which stood at 37 million 258 thousand 388 boxes in 2013, rose to 65 million 451 thousand 831 boxes in 2023. Bulut emphasized that this increase has reached alarming levels in terms of public health.

Furthermore, according to the data shared by Bulut, the money spent on antidepressant drugs in 2023 increased by 89 percent compared to the previous year, reaching 3 billion 240 million 451 thousand 675 TL.

Bulut stated that the economic crisis, inflation, unemployment, and low wages are negatively affecting the psychology of citizens, which is why there is an increase in antidepressant use.

Adding that Turkey ranked 106th out of 137 countries in the 2023 World Happiness Index, Bulut continued as follows:

“The economic crisis, the daily erosion of wages against inflation, and record-breaking unemployment have damaged the psychology of the citizens. The purchasing power of the citizen has melted away; debts have spiraled out of control. The government has made the citizen dependent on subsidized sales and cheap bread queues. The salary deemed appropriate for a retiree who has paid premiums for years has become 10 thousand TL. With salaries shrinking to nothing, workers, civil servants, and retirees who cannot make ends meet are deeply worried. The citizen cannot see their tomorrow and is hopeless about the future. The government has damaged the psychology of the citizen.”