The matter in summary: The use of antidepressants, also known as “happy pills”, is increasing among Norwegian teenagers, despite the fact that most report that they are doing well. Professor emeritus Willy-Tore Mørch expresses concern about this trend and believes that there is too easy access to these medicines. Sara Rebekka Aralt, a 22-year-old user of antidepressants, shares her experience and believes that the pills are a short-term solution to long waiting lists in psychiatry. Håkon Kongsrud Skard, president of the Norwegian Psychological Association, points out that talk therapy should be the first choice for mild to moderate depression, but access to the necessary mental health care is too poorly developed for children and young people. Northern Norway tops the list of young people’s use of antidepressants, and people who need psychiatric help have to wait the longest in this region. Sara from Harstad experienced side effects such as increased fatigue and irritation from antidepressants, and has therefore taken a break from the medication. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. According to Ungdata, the vast majority of Norwegian teenagers are doing well – at least according to themselves. Nevertheless, there is an increasing use of “happy pills”, according to figures the prescription register news has received from the pharmacy association. In the 15-19 age group, there has been an increase of almost 50 per cent. Why? Part of the reason may be that more and more people are being diagnosed with depression, says professor emeritus Willy-Tore Mørch. – I am concerned about the use of happy pills, he says. – The background noise disappears 22-year-old Sara Rebekka Aralt from Harstad is one of many young people who have had antidepressants – popularly called “happy pills” – prescribed. – It stabilises. Everything becomes lower in a way, and is not so high anymore. You can say that all background noise disappears. For Aralt, it takes little before she has a bad day. And the problems build up throughout the day. – It can be very difficult to handle. I quickly get exhausted and overthink a lot, says the 22-year-old. But she hadn’t really intended to start with happy pills. The problem was actually that she slept badly. That is why she was given sleeping pills by her GP. But when that didn’t work, she was given the drug Quetapine. It is an antidepressant. – Quetapine also made it easier to go to school, says the Harstadværingen. Therefore, she started using the pills regularly as antidepressants. And she also knows many more young people who take happy pills. Use is increasing But Aralt is not the only young person who uses happy pills. The use of antidepressants among young people is increasing: – The increasing use of antidepressants in the treatment of young people today is, in my view, scary, says Willy-Tore Mørch, who is professor emeritus at the University of Tromsø. – There is too easy access to “happy pills”, and people resort too easily to that solution. He emphasizes that not everyone is struggling. According to the Ungdata survey, the vast majority of Norwegian teenagers say that they are doing well. Although the survey shows that there are more young people who report mental health problems now than before, the increase may be due to greater openness about mental health. Youth data: Most are doing well, but also some are struggling The vast majority of Norwegian teenagers are doing well – at least according to themselves. Because when young people are asked, the vast majority answer that they have good physical and mental health, most feel a great degree of security, they are very satisfied with their parents, with their friends and with the school they go to, and many are optimistic about their own future. At the same time, Ungdata and other self-report surveys show that a good number struggle with various forms of mental health challenges in everyday life. For some, this is about sadness, depression and worries. Many young people are left with the feeling that everything is a chore, and a good number have problems falling asleep. All of these are ailments that are quite common and that for many naturally belong in the difficult phase of life that adolescence can often be. It is still only a minority who are very much bothered, and for the vast majority the troubles will be temporary. At the same time, these are everyday ailments that can be challenging enough for those affected and contribute to a limited quality of life. For some, the problems will be the start of more long-term mental health challenges. But those who are not feeling well use more antidepressants now than before, according to several surveys. Psychologist Willy-Tore Mørch in Tromsø points out that antidepressants have an effect in treating depression. Nevertheless, he is concerned about the sharp increase. Photo: Eirik Hind Sveen Mørch thinks that is not good. – I am afraid that the use will continue to increase over time. He believes one of the reasons is that more people are being diagnosed. – Having depressive symptoms and low mood, and being depressed, i.e. having the diagnosis, are two completely different things. We all have depressive tendencies once in a while. Depression is a serious symptom that inhibits the unfolding of life. Mørch believes that the health services should deal with depression and depressive tendencies in a different way. There are several psychosocial treatment methods that are effective against depression. – Antidepressants are so easy. Going to psychosocial treatment for depression or depressive symptoms is a bigger canvas to paint, and more exhausting. Long queue But it is not only easy to get a psychologist’s appointment. Previously, news has shown that the extent of deadline breaches for children in psychiatry has almost doubled from 2020 to 2021 for the country as a whole. In Northern Norway, people who need psychiatric help have to wait the longest. And Nordland tops the lists in Northern Norway for young people’s use of antidepressants, figures from the Prescription Register show. From sleeping pills to happy pills Sara Rebekka Aralt from Harstad says that the “happy pills” are a short-term solution to long waiting lists in psychiatry. – I think it is much easier to get antidepressants than help from a psychologist, she says. – I think it’s stupid. I would much rather go to a psychologist than use antidepressants. The lucky pills also make it a bit difficult to work with yourself. Precisely because she becomes a slightly different version of herself, says Sara. – I become more stable, but also more numb. Then I care less about things. The 22-year-old tells of several hours of mapping and a month’s waiting time before she was assessed for psychological help. – It is very tiring. For many, it is in itself very difficult to go and ask for help. I feel you have to fight for your life to get help. She also points out that she does not necessarily think antidepressants are bad, but that mental health should be taken more seriously and psychiatry needs more resources so they can help more people. Has a job to do Håkon Kongsrud Skard, president of the Norwegian Psychological Association, says that cooperation with family and surrounding systems is crucial for children and young people who have psychological challenges. Photo: Norwegian Psychological Association Håkon Kongsrud Skard, president of the Norwegian Psychological Association, says that young people are more open than before about feelings and mental health. Nevertheless, there are indications that more people report mental health problems. – Especially after the corona pandemic, there has been a clear increase in young people with more serious mental disorders who are referred to the treatment apparatus, he says. – What do you think about the increased use of antidepressants among young people today? – The causes of depression are not clear-cut, and especially for young people, it is often an expression of problems or difficulties in the environment. – We must discuss how we rig society in all arenas to promote mental health. – Do you think antidepressants are a good treatment for depression? – Medicines can be an important part of the course of treatment, especially for patients with more serious depressive disorders. But he points out that the Directorate of Health has been clear that talk therapy should be the first choice for mild to moderate depression. – Our concern is that access to necessary mental health care is far too poorly developed for children and young people, as both the National Audit Office and the Children’s Ombudsman have documented, he says. – For example, more than half of the country’s municipalities lack a psychologist in the services for children and young people. Got tired and irritated by the pills The lucky pills for Sara from Harstad also had a downside. She became more tired, and more irritated. She had rarely been like that before. The referral letter from Sara’s GP states that they suspect she is bipolar. But she also has anxiety symptoms. Photo: Private This is also the reason why she has now taken a break from the happy pills. – I couldn’t bear to be so tired when I was going to work. In the end, taking them became more tiring than not.
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The use of antidepressants among Norwegian youth is increasing – news Nordland
