Russians taking antidepressants at unprecedented levels amid war

Russians are taking antidepressants at unprecedented levels amid war with Ukraine which began in 2022. According to market research by Russian consultancy DSM, pharmacies sold 8.4 million packages of antidepressants in 2019. The figure rose to 13 million in 2022, then climbed to 15.3 million in 2023 and 17.9 million in 2024. By 2025, annual sales reached 22.3 million packages.