Some 22.3 million packages of antidepressant medicine have been bought in Russia final yr.
Some 22.3 million packages of antidepressant medicine have been bought in Russia final yr (Picture: Getty)
The variety of Russians taking antidepressants reached a file excessive in 2025 because the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine looms. No less than 22.3 million packages of medication akin to Prozac, the equal of £200million and nearly double the quantity purchased in 2022, have been bought final yr, information from Russian analytics firm DSM has revealed.
Quite a few components have been cited for the crash in Russian psychological well being, notably the “tradition of concern” created by the Kremlin, in keeping with Stanislav Stanskikh, a Russia skilled, as greater than 20,000 Russians have been arrested for anti-war exercise between 2022 and 2025. The worsening price of dwelling disaster has additionally led to rising anxiousness, with Putin’s warfare machine being prioritised over residents’ welfare, pensions and training.
The equal of £200million value of antidepressants have been bought in Russia in 2025 (Picture: Getty)
Greater than a 3rd of Russians imagine the economic system is getting worse – 10% greater than in 2022 – a Gallup ballot revealed, with almost half saying it was a nasty time to get a job and just below a 3rd saying they struggled to afford meals for themselves and their households. Residents are actually unable to purchase on a regular basis necessities akin to potatoes, which have spiked in price by 167% following failed harvests.
Russia’s economic system can also be persevering with to endure by the hands of Western sanctions imposed after the Ukraine invasion, with its oil and gasoline income plummeting to a five-year low of 393.3billion rubles (£377billion) in January.
The reveal of final yr’s skyrocketing improve in antidepressant gross sales comes as shortages of Prozac and Zoloft, among the hottest medicine, have additionally been reported in earlier years. As much as 8.4 million have been bought in 2019, 13 million in 2022, 15.3 million in 2023 and 17.9 million in 2024.
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Russia’s economic system can also be going through a disaster because of plummeting world oil costs and a tightening crackdown on its “shadow fleet” of tankers, which has halved vitality revenues year-on-year. Whereas the Kremlin’s 2026 finances was constructed on the idea that Urals crude would promote for roughly $60 (£44) per barrel, costs have truly slumped towards $40 (£29).
This income collapse is compounded by secondary sanctions which have compelled Russia’s largest remaining purchaser, India, to slash its imports by almost half to keep away from shedding entry to Western markets.
To plug this deficit and preserve its warfare effort, the Russian authorities has been compelled to shift the burden onto its residents via a VAT improve to 22%, efficient from January 1, and a 16% rate of interest that has successfully frozen non-public borrowing.
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