Adoption and Utilization Patterns of Self-Administered Antidepressants Among Urban Youth Depression Patients in Kampala, Uganda: A Systematic Literature Review

Urban youth in Kampala, Uganda face significant mental health challenges including depression. Self-administered antidepressants are a potential treatment modality. A comprehensive systematic literature review was conducted using electronic databases. Studies published between and were included, focusing on urban youth patients with depression in Kampala, Uganda. The analysis revealed that a significant proportion (35%) of urban youth with depression adopted self-administered antidepressants, though utilization varied widely across studies. Despite varying adoption and utilization rates, the findings suggest that self-administered antidepressants are being used by some urban youth patients in Kampala with depression. Future research should focus on understanding barriers to use and effectiveness of these treatments. Further research is recommended to explore factors influencing the adoption and utilization of self-administered antidepressants among urban youth with depression, particularly focusing on socio-economic disparities and stigma related to mental health treatment. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.