Rise in pills given to patients for anxiety and depression
ANTIDEPRESSANT use is on the rise in Greater Manchester.
New figures show SSRIs – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are used to tackle depression and anxiety – were prescribed 427,594 times in the Manchester CCG area in the year ending in October 2019.
That is the equivalent of 78 prescriptions for every 100 people living in the area, exclusive analysis of OpenPrescribing figures reveals.
It does not mean that everyone in the area is on SSRIs, however, as one person can receive several prescriptions over the course of a year. Someone on a repeat prescription is counted every time their medicine is issued.
Nonetheless, the number of SSRI prescriptions in the Manchester CCG area has increased by 15 per cent in just four years.
In the year to October 2015 there were a total of 352,178 or 68 for every 100 people.
The number has been rising year-onyear ever since.
SSRIs are widely used to treat depression and anxiety and a number of other mental health conditions.
These include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, severe phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They’re usually the first choice medication for depression because they generally have fewer sideeffects than other types of antidepressants.
SSRIs work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter – a messenger chemical that carries signals between nerve cells in the brain – that is thought to have a good influence on mood, emotion and sleep.
The rise in use of the drugs isn’t limited to Manchester CCG.
Wigan Borough CCG saw an even bigger increase. SSRIs were prescribed 266,817 times, or 82 for every 100 people. That figure was 21pc higher than the 217,547 times they were prescribed in 2014/15.
Trafford CCG and Bury CCG saw the second-biggest increase in the area by 18 per cent followed by Bolton CCG with an increase of 17pc. Tameside saw a 16pc rise, Stockport 15pc, Salford and Oldham around 13pc and Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale 9.5pc.
Nationally, the number of SSRI prescriptions has increased by 25pc from 32 million items prescribed in 2014/15 (or 59 every 100 people) to 40 million in 2018/19 (or 71 for every 100 people).
Antonis Kousoulis, director at the Mental Health Foundation, said: “An increase in prescribed SSRIs should not automatically be considered a negative thing. Improved mental health awareness and reduced stigma in our society means that more people are seeking medical help for mental health problems, which is a reason for an increase in prescriptions. Most SSRIs are prescribed by GPs who also provide referral to a range of other treatments like talking therapies.
“However access to other therapies is patchy across the UK, so antidepressants can often become the only available solution. Not everyone will be helped by the SSRIs. This is further exacerbated by the very high rates of common mental health problems in our communities (one in six experience one every week). This means that, regardless of resourcing, the NHS is unlikely to be able to cope with the need.”