Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

by Anna Lembke

The use of antidepressants like Paxil, Prozac, and Celexa is rising in countries all over the world, with the United States topping the list. Greater than one in ten Americans (110 people per 1,000) takes an antidepressant, followed by Iceland (106/1,000), Australia (89/1,000), Canada (86/1,000), Denmark (85/1,000), Sweden (79/1,000), and Portugal (78/1,000). Among twenty-five countries, South Korea was last (13/1,000). Antidepressant use rose 46 percent in Germany in just four years, and 20 percent in Spain and Portugal during the same period. Although data for other Asian countries, including China, are not available, we can infer growing use of antidepressants by looking at sales trends. In China, sales of antidepressants reached $2.61 billion in 2011, up 19.5 percent from the previous year.