26gaa04 10.3205/26gaa04 urn:nbn:de:0183-26gaa042 Meeting Abstract Dörks Dörks Michael M Dr.

Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstraße, 26129 Oldenburg, GermanyCarl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

michael.doerks@uol.de author Jobski Jobski Kathrin K Dr.

Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

kathrin.jobski@uol.de author Fassmer Fassmer Alexander A Dr.

Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

alexander.fassmer@uni-wuerzburg.de author Poustka Poustka Luise L Prof. Dr.

Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Luise.Poustka@med.uni-heidelberg.de author Cornelisse Cornelisse Sven S

Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

sven.cornelisse@med.uni-heidelberg.de author Bachmann Bachmann Christian C Prof. Dr. Dr.

Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany

chrstn.bchmnn@googlemail.com author Stahmeyer Stahmeyer Jona J Dr.

AOK Niedersachsen, Hannover, Germany

Jona.Stahmeyer@nds.aok.de author Meißner Meißner Imke I Dr.

AOK Niedersachsen, Hannover, Germany

imke.meissner@nds.aok.de author Hoffmann Hoffmann Falk F Prof. Dr.

Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

falk.hoffmann@uol.de author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House

Düsseldorf

610 20261021 engl This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). M0661 04 Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie e.V. (GAA) 33. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie Abstracts München 20261129 20261130 26gaa04 TextBackground/Aim: The use of antidepressants in children and adolescents has increased steadily, regardless of concerns about effectiveness and safety. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased psychological strain for both children and adolescents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether antidepressant prescribing patterns changed during the pandemic.Methods: Based on claims data from a large German statutory health insurance provider, we compared antidepressant prescribing patterns for the years 2018-2022 with a focus on 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2021 (pandemic). The prescribing prevalence for children and adolescents <18 years was determined, stratified by age, sex, drug class and prescriber specialty.Results: Overall, between 475,750 (2018) and 585,520 (2022) children and adolescents per year were included. The use of antidepressants increased from 2.2 in 2019 to 2.7 per 1,000 children and adolescents in 2021 (+22.7%). The highest prevalence as well as the highest absolute increase were found in females aged 15–17 years (15.0 in 2019 to 19.0 per 1,000 in 2021 (+26.7%)). The prevalence of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescribing increased from 1.5 in 2019 to 2.1 per 1,000 children and adolescents in 2021. The share of prescriptions by child and adolescent psychiatrists increased from 49.5% in 2019 to 59.9% in 2021.Discussion/Conclusion: We found a rise in overall ATD prescribing primarily due to an increase in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescribing in adolescent females. Understanding the potential contribution of pandemic measures is important for evaluating the broader consequences of pandemic policies in future research. Fassmer AM Wandscher K Bedri A Jobski K Poustka L Bachmann CJ Hoffmann F Change of antidepressant utilization in children, adolescents and young adults in Europe before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review 2026 Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 3-16 Fassmer AM, Wandscher K, Bedri A, Jobski K, Poustka L, Bachmann CJ, Hoffmann F. Change of antidepressant utilization in children, adolescents and young adults in Europe before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2026 Jan;35(1):3-16. DOI: 10.1007/s00787-025-02839-x https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02839-x Amill-Rosario A Lee H Zhang C dosReis S Psychotropic Prescriptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among U.S. Children and Adolescents Receiving Mental Health Services 2022 J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 408-14 Amill-Rosario A, Lee H, Zhang C, dosReis S. Psychotropic Prescriptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among U.S. Children and Adolescents Receiving Mental Health Services. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2022 Sep;32(7):408-14. DOI: 10.1089/cap.2022.0037 https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2022.0037 Jack RH Hollis C Coupland C Morriss R Knaggs RD Butler D Cipriani A Cortese S Hippisley-Cox J Incidence and prevalence of primary care antidepressant prescribing in children and young people in England, 1998-2017: A population-based cohort study 2020 PLoS Med e1003215 Jack RH, Hollis C, Coupland C, Morriss R, Knaggs RD, Butler D, Cipriani A, Cortese S, Hippisley-Cox J. Incidence and prevalence of primary care antidepressant prescribing in children and young people in England, 1998-2017: A population-based cohort study. PLoS Med. 2020 Jul 22;17(7):e1003215. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003215 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003215 0 0 0 0