Russians Turning to Antidepressants as Drug Sales Soar

Russians are increasingly turning to antidepressants as President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine grinds on, according to data published by state-run news outlets on Friday.

According to Russia's Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies, Russians spent 70 percent more on antidepressant medications in the first nine months of 2022, compared to the same period last year.

Russians spent a total of $81.1 million in that time frame, according to the data, with 8.4 million packs being sold between January and October, Russia's state-run news agency Tass reported.

Residents of Moscow bought the largest amount of antidepressants (1,300 packages per 10,000 adults), followed by St. Petersburg (1,200 packages per 10,000 adults), the rest of the Moscow region (976 packages per 10,000 adults), Karelia (939 packages per 10,000 adults), and the Rostov region (909 packages per 10,000 adults).

The publication didn't name the reasons for the growing anxiety of Russians, however, in July, experts told Russian outlet RBK that a rise in spending on antidepressants was linked to the war, fears of the consequences of sanctions and a surge in demand for the medication, as many feared a shortage.

The Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies found at the time that Russians spent 87 percent more on antidepressants in the first six months of 2022 compared with the same time period last year.

Sales of the medication appear to have surged since Putin announced a partial mobilization order on September 21.

On September 28, Russian news outlet Vedomosti cited data from Rigla, Russia's largest pharmacy chain, that showed sales of antidepressants and sedatives in its pharmacies from September 21 to 25 increased by 32 percent—to more than 135,400 packages—compared with the same period in August.

Sergey Shulyak, CEO of the analytical company DSM Group, told the news outlet that he expects demand for these drugs will remain at a high level amid the war. The expert said Putin's mobilization only added to the nervousness of the population.

Nikolay Bespalov, development director of the RNC Pharma analytical company, agreed with Shulyak's analysis, but said he believes demand for antidepressants, which are prescription drugs, will likely rise later, given that "people now hardly have time to go to the doctors."

Earlier, a survey published by Russia's state-backed Public Opinion Foundation on September 29 found that about 70 percent of Russians feel anxious. The peak of anxiety came at the end of September, when Putin announced a partial mobilization.

It also comes amid heightened fears that Putin could use nuclear weapons. U.S. President Joe Biden has asserted that Putin is "not joking" about threats to escalate the Russia-Ukraine war by using nuclear weapons.

However, on Thursday, Putin said during an hour-long speech at an annual foreign policy conference outside Moscow that Russia deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine would "make no sense at all to us—either in political or military terms."

Newsweek has contacted Russia's foreign ministry for comment.