Awareness and attitude toward antidepressants in the population of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: The growing prevalence of depression is a public health concern, and lack of awareness contributes to nonadherence to medications. Antidepressant awareness is, therefore, critical to the mental health and well-being of those with depression. The study aims to assess the awareness and attitude toward antidepressant drugs among the population in Riyadh. Method: A design of the cross-sectional quantitative study was adopted. Online questionnaires were distributed to 668 participants, with data collected using non-probability convenience sampling. The questionnaire comprised demographic data for the patient and perspectives on the use of antidepressants, including gender, age, education status, awareness of antidepressants, and attitudes. Awareness and attitudes were concerned with different parameters related to the use of antidepressants. Results: In this study, we collected data from 668 participants. Among the sample, 55.1 % of the participants were females, and 46.1 % were between 16 and 25 years old. In general, we found that 52.7 % of the participants had adequate knowledge, 44.6 % had inadequate knowledge, and 2.7 % did not know. The educational level of the participantsappeared to be the only factor that significantly affected the level of knowledge (P=0.039); the higher the educational level, the higher the level of knowledge. Furthermore, we found that most participants had a positive attitude towards antidepressant medications (80.5%), while 19.5 % had a negative attitude. Conclusion: An inadequate knowledge of antidepressant medications was reported among residents of Riyadh. The need to increase awareness among this population is necessary. Keywords: Antidepressant, Awareness, Depression, Public health, Saudi Arabia