A total of 70.9 million prescriptions of antidepressants were dispensed in England in 2018.
NHS Digital figures show that the number of drugs issued for conditions such as depression and anxiety went up from 67.5 million in 2017. This total is almost double the number given in 2008. The figures include all items issued by the NHS in England not including the ones given out in hospitals or on private prescriptions.
Figures published in Scotland last year showed a similar trend with 6.6 million items dispensed in 2017-18 compared with 3.8 million in 2007-08, this is an increase of 73.7%
In Wales, the number of items dispensed rose by 168% between 2002 and 2017 to 5.6 million. In Northern Ireland, 3.1 million prescriptions were dispensed in 2017-18 which is up from 2.4 million in 2013-14.
An NHS England spokesman said: “While antidepressants play an important role for some patients, an attitude of ‘a pill for every ill’ can mean not only do some people end up taking medicine they don’t need to, but taxpayer funding is spent on avoidable prescriptions.”
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, who chairs the Royal College of GPs, said the part of the rise in prescriptions could be down to an increased awareness of mental health conditions in society.
Vicki Nash, from the mental health charity Mind, said: “We currently live in turbulent times and the impact of Brexit on the nation’s mental health is hard to measure. We know political and world events can create a great deal of uncertainty, which can make some of us feel anxious, stressed and down.
“If feelings are overwhelming or affecting your daily life we do recommend speaking to a friend or family member or go to your GP, who can talk you through the support that’s available.”
Antidepressants are thought to work by increasing the levels of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters which are linked to mood and emotion. Research shows that antidepressants can be helpful for people with moderate or severe depression. They are taken in tablet form and when they are prescribed you start at a low dose that can help the patients symptoms.
