Prescription of antidepressants comes under the spotlight

Healthcare experts are concerned that antidepressants may be over-prescribed in some parts of England, after new research published this week by the Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation.

Figures from the Foundation show that annual prescription rises have risen to 8.5 per cent since the 2008 Credit Crunch, compared to a 6.7 per cent annual rise in the years beforehand.

Incidences of depression have risen more slowly, however, which could suggest over-use or under-use in some regions depending on whether antidepressants might have been under-subscribed in the past.

Senior research analyst at the Nuffield Trust, Adam Roberts, comments: “It's striking that GPs were prescribing an extra 2.7 million antidepressants in 2012, compared to the trend we saw during the years of economic growth. That acceleration in the use of these drugs raises some difficult questions about the impact that poverty and unemployment can have on people’s health.

“Our research shows stark variation in antidepressant prescription rates between regions, ethnicities and age groups. While some variation is to be expected, the differences between regions suggest that there could be particular underlying problems in mental health for people in areas suffering from unemployment and poor housing.

“What we don’t know from the research is what level of prescribing is objectively the ‘right’ level. But the fact that the rise over time outstrips the incidence of depression suggests either that we were dispensing far too few of these drugs in 1998, or that we are dispensing far too many now.”

Professor Nick Barber, director of research at the Health Foundation, also comments: “The report clearly shows a significant increase in antidepressant prescriptions in recent years. A crucial finding for doctors and patients to consider is that there is real variation in prescription rates across GP practices.

“These differences imply that certain practices have a propensity to over or under prescribe. This could suggest that not enough attention has been given to individual patients’ needs, including the need to avoid possible side effects of these medicines.”