Warning over depression pills as diagnoses rise

ONE in six people is depressed, health chiefs have said, as they warn those on medication against going cold turkey.

Patients who want to quit antidepressants should do so in stages, with doses tapered and support to reduce withdrawal effects, according to guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).

The new standards on management of depression follow figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that suggest the current rate of depression is up from one in 10 before the pandemic.

Prescribing data shows a record 8.3 million people in England taking pills, two thirds of whom are female.

Nice says those who want to stop taking antidepressants should have the dose reduced in stages to reduce the likelihood and severity of withdrawal symptoms.

Any withdrawal symptoms need to have been resolved, or to be tolerable, before making the next dose reduction, the committee has said.

Estimates from the NHS Business Services Authority, show about one in eight people on antidepressants in 2020-21.

Its figures show trends rising, with 21.4million antidepressant prescriptions between July to September 2022, up from 19.5million per quarter before Covid.

Dr Paul Chrisp, director of the Centre for Guidelines at Nice, said: “Millions of people take antidepressants.

“If an individual decides they want to stop, they should be helped by their GP or mental health team to do that in the safest and most appropriate way.

“In many cases people experience withdrawal symptoms, and the length in time it takes them to safely come off these drugs can vary.

“It should be stressed there is no one-size-fits-all approach to coming off antidepressants.

“The way it should be done has to be down to the individual and their healthcare professional.”

ONS data shows 17 per cent of adults aged 16 years and over in Britain experienced some form of depression in summer 2021.