Antidepressants

Thank you for publishing my letter (“Depressing...”, 11 September) about the ever-rising number of antidepressants prescribing in Scotland.

Now today (14 September) there are two articles in The Scotsman that are extremely relevant: Kevan Christie writing about the alarming rise in Alzheimer’s disease

and Shan Ross writing about Scots living with distressing and debilitating neurological conditions.

This is indeed clear evidence of the growing surge in people acquiring a variety of disabling symptoms and conditions, resulting in rising levels of long-term disability in Scotlan as well as huge costs in social and NHS terms.

Surely we need to join the dots and seriously explore what on earth is going on?

As mentioned, the British Medical Association has publicly recognised that many people are suffering serious harm from medicines (specifically including opioids, benzodiazepines, Z-drugs and antidepressants) – which have been taken “as prescribed” – and has called for collaborative action to address the issue. All of these medicines work by acting on the subtle essential human nervous systems.

There are many online patient groups now providing grassroots help and support to fellow sufferers – and discovering that their symptoms and “conditions” have indeed developed as a direct result of harm unexpectedly sustained by taking medicines “as prescribed” by their doctors.

Patients are asking: “What on earth has happened to me?” and “How can we ensure that this does not happen to others?”

A public petition, Prescribed Drugs Associated with Dependence and Withdrawal, is currently under consideration by the Scottish Parliament’s petitions committee.

MARION BROWN

Garelochhead, Helensburgh