More than one in four American women took at least one drug for conditions like anxiety and depression last year, according to an analysis of prescription data.

The report, by pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc, found the use of drugs for psychiatric and behavioral disorders in all adults rose 22per cent from 2001.

* Women more likely than men to take antipsychotic drugs, according to new report

* Most often prescribed to females over 45

* Prescriptions for psychiatric problems in all adults have risen 22% since 2001

* Usage has quadrupled among men aged between 20 and 64 over the last decade

The medications are most often prescribed to women aged 45 and older, but their use among men and in younger adults climbed sharply.
On the rise: A bar graph showing the increase in the number of Americans using mental health medication between 2001 and 2010. There are considerably more women doing so than men

On the rise: A bar graph showing the increase in the number of Americans using mental health medication between 2001 and 2010. There are considerably more women doing so than […]