Total Number of People Taking Psychiatric Drugs in the United States – CCHR International

The following information is the most accurate and documented data available on psychiatric drug usage. The information is from IQVia (formerly IMS Health), a company that provides information, services and technology for the healthcare industry. It is the largest vendor of U.S. physician prescribing data. The following data was taken from the IQVia Total Patient Tracker Database for 2020, extracted January 2021. To find out about the hundreds of drug regulatory agency warnings and documented side effects for any class of psychiatric drug listed on this page (i.e., ADHD Drugs, Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, etc.) click the hyperlinks listed below:

Drug Class:                    Age Group:           Number of People:

All Psychiatric Drugs    All Ages                 76,940,157

                                       0-5 Years                418,425

                                       0-17 Years              6,155,852

           Age Breakdown:
                                       0-1 Years                85,003
                                       2-3 Years                138,822
                                       4-5 Years                215,120
                                       6-12 Years              2,652,554
                                       13-17 Years            3,188,966
                                      18-24 Years             5,535,171
                                       25-44 Years            20,455,212
                                       45-64 Years            25,202,893
                                       65 Years +             19,114,040

ADHD Drugs                   All Ages                 9,585,203

                                       0-5 Years                58,091

                                       0-17 Years              3,155,441

           Age Breakdown:
                                       0-1 Years                310
                                       2-3 Years                1,300
                                       4-5 Years                57,010
                                       6-12 Years              1,750,481
                                       13-17 Years            1,409,438
                                      18-24 Years             1,166,119
                                       25-44 Years            3,242,762
                                       45-64 Years            1,600,104
                                       65 Years +              340,118

Antidepressants              All Ages                 45,204,771

                                       0-5 Years                35,216

                                       0-17 Years              2,154,118

           Age Breakdown:
                                       0-1 Years                7,811
                                       2-3 Years                12,137
                                       4-5 Years                18,911
                                       6-12 Years              543,120
                                       13-17 Years            1,605,375
                                      18-24 Years             3,547,307
                                       25-44 Years            12,839,606
                                       45-64 Years            15,611,175
                                       65 Years +              10,740,584

Antipsychotics                 All Ages                 11,154,803

                                       0-5 Years                30,632

                                       0-17 Years              829,372

           Age Breakdown:
                                       0-1 Years                1,318
                                       2-3 Years                7,873
                                       4-5 Years                22,180
                                       6-12 Years              304,754
                                       13-17 Years            502,372
                                      18-24 Years             1,057,823
                                       25-44 Years            3,414,984
                                       45-64 Years            3,563,164
                                       65 Years +              2,170,963

Anti-anxiety Drugs           All Ages                 31,229,150

                                       0-5 Years                233,125

                                       0-17 Years              1,153,351

           Age Breakdown:
                                       0-1 Years                60,068
                                       2-3 Years                89,453
                                       4-5 Years                90,716
                                       6-12 Years              357,976
                                       13-17 Years            571,210
                                      18-24 Years             1,591,219
                                       25-44 Years            8,308,952
                                       45-64 Years            11,340,444
                                       65 Years +              8,487,756

Mood Stabilizers              All Ages                 21,863,616

                                       0-5 Years                100,233

                                       0-17 Years              794,715

           Age Breakdown:
                                       0-1 Years                21,593
                                       2-3 Years                36,986
                                       4-5 Years                50,206
                                       6-12 Years              289,262
                                       13-17 Years            419,221
                                      18-24 Years             946,376
                                       25-44 Years            4,859,812
                                       45-64 Years            8,387,108
                                       65 Years +              6,700,511

SOURCE: IQVia Total Patient Tracker (TPT) Database, Year 2020, Extracted January 2021.