Share of depressed people seeking help in Italy 2021-2022

As of 2022, about 6.2 percent of adults in Italy reported depression symptoms. Among them, on average 62.4 percent asked for help to get out of this mental state between 2021 and 2022. According to the data, the regions where people suffering from depression were least likely to seek help were Sicily and Molise. The Autonomous Province of Bolzano and Trento, on the contrary, were the regions with the highest percentage of individuals declaring they reached out for help when experiencing depression symptoms.

Depression among elderly

In Italy, higher percentages of people suffering from depression can be observed among elderly people. Between 2021 and 2022, about 13.5 percent of people aged 85 and older were experiencing symptoms of depression. When considering gender differences, elderly women were more than twice as likely to suffer from depression.

Antidepressants

During the last decade, consumption of antidepressants increased in Italy, rising from 39 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day in 2013 to 45.8 in 2022. Sertraline was the most used active ingredient in 2022, as well as the one with the lowest average cost per daily defined dose, at 0.23 euros per DDD.