400,000 Finns take depression medication annually

More than 400,000 Finns obtain medical compensation for antidepressants annually, reported national broadcaster Yle.

About 50 percent to 70 percent of the drugs users use the medication for depression treatment.

Other reasons for using the medication includes anxiety, chronic pain or sleep disorder, Esa Leinonen, Professor Emeritus at University of Tampere told Yle.

"Antidepressant medication becomes an issue at a time when depression starts clearly to have an impact on a person's ability to function, to cope with everyday life and to handle work and social responsibilities," Leinonen said.

The medication is, however, not always used in the treatment of moderate to severe depression. According to Erkki Isometsä, Professor of Psychiatry, the general reason for such a solution is the patient's refusal to take medication.

"There are many reasons behind this refusal (by patients). Some have sometimes tried medication and have had unpleasant side effects. Some have heard or read about how much harm a medicine can have," said the Yle report quoting Isometsä as saying.

Finnish population survey found that 7.4 percent of adults annually go through depression, which meets the diagnostic criteria for the disease.

However, according to Isometsä, up to 10-20 percent of Finns suffer from less severe depression.