A recent study conducted by Medco, a company that manages prescription benefits, found that in 2010, women took medication to treat depression or anxiety at a higher rate than men. In a study of two million patients, pharmacy records showed that 26 percent of women took drugs to treat mental-health issues in 2010, compared to 22 percent in 2001. Only 15 percent of men took the same medications in 2010 (up from 12 percent in 2001).
Though the precise reason behind these findings isn’t clear, Dr. David Muzina, practice leader at Medco’s Neuroscience Therapeutic Resource Center, theorized that women are more likely than men to seek medical help for their depression, or that they’re more vulnerable to depression or anxiety in the first place.
What do you BUSTies think? Is the answer biological, or societal?
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