Antidepressants as a commodity have been remarkably little-studied by economists.
This study shows in new data for 27 European countries that 8% of people (and
10% of those middle-aged) take antidepressants each year. The probability of
antidepressant use is greatest among those who are middle-aged, female,
unemployed, poorly educated, and divorced or separated. A hill-shaped age pattern
is found. The adjusted probability of using antidepressants reaches a peak --
approximately doubling -- in people‟s late 40s. This finding is consistent with, and
provides a new and independent form of corroboration of, recent claims in the
research literature that human well-being follows a U-shape through life
