Fact check: 13% of Belgians take antidepressants

1. Summary of the results

The statement is accurate but requires more precision. Specifically, 13.3% of Belgian adults used antidepressants at least once in 2021 ^{[1] [1]}. This represents over one million Belgians ^[2]. The usage shows significant gender disparity, with 13 out of 100 women compared to 7 out of 100 men using antidepressants ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original statement:

• Temporal trends: There has been an 8% growth in antidepressant use between 2019-2023 ^[3], indicating a rising trend
• Regional variations: Usage rates differ across Belgium, with Flanders showing lower consumption compared to Wallonia and Brussels ^[2]
• International context: While Belgium exceeds the European average by about 10% ^[3], it's not among the highest consumers. Countries including Iceland, Portugal, UK, Sweden, and Spain have higher usage rates ^[1]
• Usage pattern: The statistic refers to people who used antidepressants "at least once" in a year ^[1], not necessarily regular users

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement, while technically correct, could be misleading in several ways:

• It presents the figure without temporal context, potentially masking the significant recent increase ^[3]
• It doesn't acknowledge the substantial gender disparity in usage rates ^[3]
• By presenting Belgium's figure in isolation, it might create an impression of exceptionally high usage, when several European countries actually have higher rates ^[1]
• The statement doesn't specify that this refers to adult population only, which could lead to misinterpretation of the total population statistics ^[1]

This type of data could be used by various stakeholders for different purposes:

• Pharmaceutical companies might use it to justify market expansion
• Mental health advocates might use it to highlight the need for alternative treatments
• Healthcare policymakers might use it to compare Belgium's mental health situation with other European countries