London, April 6 (IANS): More than two-thirds of people taking anti-depressant drugs may not actually suffer from depression, claims a new study.

The US-based study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that 69 per cent of people taking anti-depressants did not meet the criteria for major depressive disorder, also known as clinical depression.

"Many individuals prescribed anti-depressants may not have met the criteria for mental disorders," the researchers were quoted as saying.

"Our data indicates that anti-depressants are commonly used in the absence of clear evidence-based indications," the researchers noted.

Anti-depressants are also prescribed for other psychiatric disorders. But the researchers found 38 per cent of those taking the drugs did not meet the criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia or generalised anxiety disorder either, Daily Mail reported.

The researchers used data from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) Study Wave 1 (1981) through Wave 4 (2004-2005) and assessed lifetime prevalence of common mood and anxiety disorders among participants who reported current anti-depressant use.

They also examined factors associated with current anti-depressant use.