Consumption of drugs for depression rose after Brexit vote

PARIS: Antidepressant use in England rose significantly compared to other prescription drugs in the wake of Britain’s decision in 2016 to exit the European Union, according to new research released.

Debate over the merits of Brexit has dominated Britain’s political discourse for more than two years, split families and communities and prompted panicked contingency plans from businesses in the event of a “no deal” with Brussels.

But relatively little attention has been paid to the impact Brexit – and the long-running uncertainty that’s dogged the process – has had on the population’s mental health.

Researchers at King’s College London looked at official monthly prescribing data for antidepressants for all 326 voting districts in England, comparing it with other classes of drugs in the run up to the June 23, 2016 referendum and the weeks that followed.

Given that the Brexit result came as a surprise that ushered in “considerable uncertainty” over its effect on Britain’s economy and society, the study authors wanted to see if that translated to greater antidepressant use.

After calculating a “defined daily dose” to ensure they could compare different types of drugs fairly, they found that after the vote the volume of antidepressants prescribed increased 13.4% relative to the other medicines studied.

“This shows that relative antidepressant prescribing increased in England after the Brexit referendum, compared with other drug classes that were used as a control group,” Sotiris Vandoros, senior lecturer in health economics at King’s College London and adjunct professor at Harvard University, said.

Although it was difficult to definitively tie the vote result to the rise in antidepressant use, Vandoros said the fact that the increase was relative to other forms of prescription drug was significant. — AFP