College students using psychotropic meds U.S. 2022-2023

During the 2022-2023 school year, 20 percent of university and college students in the U.S. reported that in the past year they had been using antidepressant medications regularly. This statistic shows the percentage of postsecondary students using psychotropic medications in the United States in 2022-2023.

Percentage of college students using psychotropic medications in the United States in 2022-2023*

Characteristic	Percentage of students
None	71%
Anti-depressants	20%
Anti-anxiety medications	9%
Psychostimulants	7%
Sleep medications	4%
Mood stabilizers	3%
Other medication for mental or emotional health	3%
Anti-psychotics	1%

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Release date

2023

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

2022-2023

Number of respondents

76,406 respondents

Age group

18 years and older

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

Release date represents the date figures were accessed.

* Original question: "In the past 12 months have you taken any of the following types of medications? Please count only those you took, or are taking, several times per week. (Select all that apply)"

Psychostimulants (e.g., methylphenidate (Ritalin, or Concerta), amphetamine salts (Adderall), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), etc.)

Anti-depressants (e.g., fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), escitalopram (Lexapro), venlafaxine (Effexor), buproprion (Wellbutrin), etc.)

Anti-psychotics (e.g., haloperidol (Haldol), clozapine (Clozaril), risperidone (Risperdal), olanzapine (Zyprexa), etc.)

Anti-anxiety medications (e.g., lorazepam (Ativan), clonazepam (Klonopin), alprazolam (Xanax), buspirone (BuSpar), etc.)

Mood stabilizers (e.g., lithium, valproate (Depakote), lamotrigine (Lamictal), carbamazapine (Tegretol), etc.)

Sleep medications (e.g., zolpidem (Ambien), zaleplon (Sonata), etc.)

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