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One in six adults in England was prescribed antidepressants last year – nearly half a million more than in 2015 – according to the latest figures.
National figures, covering the entire NHS, saw a total of 7.3 million people who received at least one antidepressant prescription in 2017.
This included more than 70,000 people under the age of 18 years and nearly 2,000 children under 11 years old.
Data, obtained by The Times via
- People over 60 years of age were twice as likely as people aged 20 or over to take antidepressants
- One in five people in cities like Blackpool and Great Yarmouth were prescribed antidepressants last year, while in London the figure was less than one in ten
But RCGP Chair Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard said, "It is important that these numbers are not automatically considered a bad thing. They may indicate that more patients now feel able to disclose mental health issues and seek medical attention and that the negative stigma too often badociated with mental health issues is shrinking in society.
Every GP has access to one of 3,000 new mental health therapists. We need this, and its other promises – including 2.4 billion extra pounds a year for general medicine and 5000 other general practitioners – to provide urgently, so that we can continue to provide the best care possible mental health to our patients. "
This occurs after doctors have said to avoid prescribing antidepressants to children and adolescents if possible, after research has shown that the use of SSRIs and IRSNs is related to a suicidal behavior
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