OBJECTIVES: Given recent increases in their prescription, antidepressants are now among the top three most prescribed medications in the U.S. However, relatively little is known about the prevalence of and factors associated with potentially inappropriate antidepressant use among older adults during their office-based outpatient visits. This study estimated the prevalence of (1) overall and (2) potentially inappropriate antidepressant prescriptions and investigated factors associated with these outcomes among adults ages 65 and over in their office-based outpatient visits. METHODS: Data from 2002-2012 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), nationally representative sample of office-based outpatient visits among older adults (n=93,947 unweighted), were used. Using a repeated cross-sectional design with survey sampling techniques, prevalence rates of two outcomes were estimated: (1) overall antidepressant prescriptions and (2) potentially inappropriate antidepressant prescriptions, as defined by 2012 Beers Criteria, by year. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine which demographic and clinical factors (e.g., polypharmacy) were associated with the aforementioned outcomes. RESULTS: The prevalence of overall antidepressant prescriptions among older adults during their office-based outpatient visits increased almost twofold from 5.2% in 2002 to 10.1% in 2012 (p<0.0001). However, the prevalence of potentially inappropriate antidepressant prescriptions among older adults during their office-based outpatient visits ranged from 0.6 to 1.5% and was significantly differed by year (p<0.1). Visiting psychiatrists, medical practice settings other than solo, and polypharmacy were associated with higher odds of overall antidepressant prescriptions (p<0.05). Visiting psychiatrists and having Medicaid were associated with higher odds of potentially inappropriate antidepressant prescriptions (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of overall antidepressant prescriptions increased almost twofold over a decade, the prevalence of potentially inappropriate antidepressant prescriptions remained less than 2%. While visiting psychiatrists was a significant factor associated with these outcomes, a deeper understanding of reasons for observed patterns is needed for quality assurance and performance improvement.