Half of English adults now ‘on medication’

Public’s growing reliance on anti-depressants fuels 47pc rise in prescription drugs over past 10 years

HALF of English adults are taking prescription medication, a report suggests, with rising use of antidepressants fuelling a 47 per cent increase in drugs dispensed over the past decade.

The NHS survey of more than 8,000 adults shows one quarter are on at least three drugs, with millions of pensioners on at least five types of medication.

The figures show one in seven English adults is on statins and one in 10 is on antidepressants.

NHS Digital said a total of 1.1 million prescriptions were dispensed last year – a rise of 47 per cent in a decade. The average number of prescription items per head of population was 20, up from 15 in 2006. In total, 48 per cent of people are taking prescription drugs.

Medication for high blood pressure was the most commonly prescribed item, followed by statins, indigestion remedies, painkillers and antidepressants.

The NHS Digital report said that across drug groups, the greatest rise was among antidepressants, with 3.7 million more items dispensed than in 2015, a six per cent rise. The survey suggests rising numbers of people are suffering mental problems, with a doubling in rates of distress among young men in the past five years. Overall, levels were found to be highest among women aged 16 to 24, with 28 per cent thought to be likely to be suffering from depression or anxiety.

Professor Helen Stokes-lampard, of the Royal College of GPS, said: “Although these figures might seem shocking to fit and well people, high prescription rates shouldn’t always be seen as a bad thing. A lot can change in 10 years, including advances in medical research and evolution of clinical guidelines – and this means more medications are now available and recommended for patients, and can increasingly be used to prevent illness and to improve health. We also have a growing, ageing population,” she said.

The GP said she hoped the rising rate of anti-depressants being prescribed reflected changes in society which meant people were more likely to seek help. But she said she feared it also shone a light on the lack of access to other treatments, such as talking therapies.

In total 19 per cent of adults were thought to be suffering anxiety or depression, compared with 15 per cent in 2012. Figures were highest among women aged 16-24, with 28 per cent assessed as likely to be suffering mental health problems, a 21 per cent rise. Among men the same age, the figure went from 9 per cent to 16 per cent. 18 per cent of men aged 25 to 34 were classed as likely to have mental health problems – double the nine per cent figure from 2012.

The findings also show the grip of couch potato lifestyles, with the average man and woman spending more time sitting down at weekends than they do in the working week. While 66 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women are overweight or obese, women were more likely to be on a diet, the poll found. The polls show 54 per cent of women trying to lose weight – along with 39 per cent of men.

The survey also revealed that on average, men sat down for 5.3 hours per day at weekends, even more than the 4.8 hours spent seated on weekdays.

Women were seated for an average of 4.9 hours a day at weekends and 4.6 hours a day during the working week, the polls found.