Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Map shows areas of England where the most antidepressants are prescribed

Doctors made more than 64 million prescriptions of antidepressants in 2016

Katie Forster
Wednesday 19 April 2017 08:19 BST
Comments
North East prescribes twice the number of antidepressants per person as the South East and London
North East prescribes twice the number of antidepressants per person as the South East and London (Exasol)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The number of antidepressants prescribed in England has risen sevenfold in the last 25 years, new analysis of NHS data has revealed.

Researchers looked at prescription data for different regions in the country and found twice as many antidepressants are prescribed per person in the North East as in the South East and London.

Doctors made more than 64 million prescriptions of antidepressants in 2016, according to database company Exasol, which conducted the research.

Antidepressant use in Britain has been growing for years, with just nine million prescriptions made in 1991, reported the BBC in 2012, when nearly 47 million antidepressant prescriptions were issued.

In the North East, doctors made 1.73 of the prescriptions per person in 2016, while in the South East and London, the rate was 0.82 prescriptions per person.

Using data on every GP prescription dispensed at pharmacies in England, the company zoomed in on each district to discover the place with the highest rate of antidepressant use was Blackpool, with 2.11 prescriptions issued per person last year.

The second highest was Sunderland and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire, both with 1.99 prescriptions per person, followed by Durham with 1.91.

A bottle of antidepressant pills named Effexor
A bottle of antidepressant pills named Effexor (Getty)

The regional disparities were plotted on a map of the country, with the researchers saying there was “a clear link to deprivation in the North and East of England.”

Blackpool is one of the poorest districts in England, according to the Department for Communities which uses information on employment, housing, health, crime and income levels to monitor deprivation levels.

Antidepressants are used to treat clinical depression and other conditions including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in