Talk, not drugs, is the best therapy

NHS prescriptions for antidepressants have doubled in the past decade, according to the latest figures. This is down to increased awareness of mental health problems and better rates of diagnosis.

But I do worry that in some quarters these drugs are being overprescribed. Harassed GPs, faced with patients who have complex social problems and just ten minutes to sort them out, too readily reach for the prescription pad.

Social situations can, of course, trigger a depressive illness, but often people who are reacting to stressful, unpleasant and awful situations in a perfectly normal way are being prescribed pills and pushed out the door.

Often, all they need is a supportive conversation.

The flip side of this is that depression is woefully underdiagnosed and under-treated in some groups.

Working-class, middle-aged and older men are among the least likely to be prescribed antidepressants yet have some of the highest rates of mental distress. They are also the most likely to kill themselves.

They are a high-risk group, but when do we ever see campaigns targeted at them?

I’ve had ‘awareness training’ on health issues relating to ethnic minorities, disabled people, trans people, gays, lesbians and women. But middleaged, working-class men? No, not a thing.

It would seem that they are the wrong kind of minority — and surely this is real discrimination?