Pandemic Fuels Surge in Antidepressant Use Among Moroccans, Study Finds

According to Abdelmajid Belaiche, an analyst of pharmaceutical markets, there has been an alarming increase in the use of psychotropics since the beginning of the pandemic. These are the effects of the health crisis on the mental health of Moroccans. The total volume in dirhams of psychotropic consumption went from 860 million dirhams in 2019 to 960 million dirhams in 2020 (an increase of 11%). In 2021, this consumption reached 980 million dirhams (an increase of 3%), reports le360.

As for antidepressants, Moroccans consumed 500 million dirhams worth in 2021, compared to 480 million dirhams in 2020 and 430 million dirhams in 2019. As for antipsychotics, their consumption went from 300 million dirhams in 2019 to 345 million dirhams in 2020. The same goes for the consumption of tranquilizers and sleeping pills.

For the expert, this increase in the consumption of psychotropics is due to "the difficult situation that Moroccans experienced during the confinement period". He also specifies that their price "has largely decreased in recent years, following the emergence of a large number of generic drugs and the population’s awareness of various psychiatric disorders".