Use of antidepressants by students of a nutrition course

Introduction: Depression is a constant mood disorder and becoming worrisome. It occurs in all age groups, and its incidence is higher among young and elderly people. Exposure to the university environment, which is often exhausting, and changes in daily life can make young students more likely to use antidepressants. Objective: To identify and characterize the use of antidepressants by students enrolled in the Nutrition course of a higher education institution of a private university in the interior of the state of São Paulo, in the midwest of São Paulo. Methods: This is a primary, cross-sectional, observational, analytical, and single-center study. To obtain participant identification data, as well as on the use of antidepressants and their characterization, a quantitative approach was used, with the application of a questionnaire. Results: There are significant differences regarding the use of antidepressants in the items of family income (p=0.0290 x²), work (p=0.0005 x²), and children (p<0.0001 x²). The academics who most use antidepressants are those with an income of up to 5 minimum wages, who work and have children, in relation to the other items, no significant changes were evidenced.Conclusion:With the data obtained, it was found that the students who most use antidepressants are those with an income of up to 5 minimum wages, who work and have children, in relation to the other items, no significant changes were evidenced. As a benefit, the survey showed greater knowledge about the use of antidepressants among university students in a Nutrition course.