65 million prescriptions every year

THE NHS handed out 4.7million prescriptions for anti-depressants in 201 – twice as many as in 200 – at a cost of £2 .5million.

One in ten adults is on some form of anti-depressant. They work by increasing levels of ‘feel-good’ chemicals in our brain, known as neurotransmitters, including serotonin.

A course of anti-depressants usually lasts six months but some patients may be told to take them

indefinitely. Side-effects include feeling agitated or anxious, nausea, indigestion, headaches and low sex drive.

A rare but deadly side effect is ‘serotonin syndrome’, which causes seizures, an irregular heart beat and unconsciousness.

Most patients benefit from antidepressants to some extent, but they are not generally as effective for mild depression. There

are four main different types of anti-depressant. The most common are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, including Prozac. There are also serotoninnoradrenaline reuptake inhibitors such as Cymbalta; noradrenaline and specific serotonergic...