Antidepressants are being doled out to twice as many people in certain parts of the country compared with others, analysis has revealed.
In the North East, around one in four people are now taking the tablets. Whereas in London, just one in eight are on antidepressants.
Nationwide, according to NHS data, around one in seven people are taking them – roughly nine million people.
Experts claim that a lack of NHS resources in poorer parts of the country mean that, increasingly, GPs are relying on antidepressants to treat patients.
They argue that family doctors should, in many cases, be sending those patients for other forms of treatment, such as talking therapy.
‘If you look at this day-to-day, it makes sense,’ says Matt Hall, director at MyHealthPal, a health insurance company that carried out the analysis.
‘Prescribing isn’t happening in a vacuum, it’s shaped by what options are actually available to people at that moment.
‘In parts of the North East, GPs are dealing with higher demand and fewer immediate alternatives.
Antidepressants are being doled out to twice as many people in certain parts of the country compared with others, analysis has revealed (file pic)
In the North East, around one in four people are now taking the tablet – but in London, just one in eight are on antidepressants (file pic)
‘If someone comes in struggling and the wait for talking therapy is months long, then medication often becomes the only realistic way to offer support there and then.
‘It’s not necessarily the ideal pathway, but it’s the one that’s accessible.’
The finding comes as NHS figures revealed that demand for mental health services has rocketed across the country.
Figures show 4.1 million people were in contact with mental health services in England last year, up from 2.6 million a decade before.
