Concern Over Rising Antidepressant Use in England

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From BBC News: “A total of 70.9 million prescriptions for antidepressants were dispensed in England in 2018.

NHS Digital figures show that the number of drugs issued – for conditions like depression and anxiety – went up from 67.5 million in 2017.

The total is almost double the number dispensed in 2008.

The figure includes all items issued by the NHS in England, except those given out in hospitals or on private prescriptions.”

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Response from John Read in The Guardian: “The main reason prescriptions are going up is not because of reduced stigma, increased levels of ‘depression’ or Brexit anxiety. It’s because more people are dependent, and take them for longer, and can’t get off. It’s time for some leadership in the public interest rather than defending an indefensible situation.”

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3 COMMENTS

      • as punitive and draconian as US culture is…I think its worth noting that 1984 and Brave New World are both set -in England-, some notorious shrinks of yesteryear came out of the UK (Ewan Cameron, Sargeant), and…

        -shudder- I saw on the “news” that Oprah and Prince…Harry, I think, the redheaded one…are teaming up to do a documentary about “mental health.” -eek-

        this is what neoliberal propaganda is, circa 2019…now, we’re all being encouraged to scrutinize our inner-lives for conformity to a “healthy” norm…

        and then seek “expert help” if we don’t measure up. all this, decades after “Schizophrenia” was effectively deconstructed (by psychiatrists, no less!) and in the face of a massive body of evidence that the psych guilds ruin lives and drain the coffers for their fraudulent ‘treatments.’

        im also kinda bummed that there won’t be a Huxleyian Soma-type drug to keep us all in a chemically induced cheerful mood…

        for most of us, its looking more and more like its going to be “antidepressants” and/or neuroleptics…the mind numbing junk…and they have the neuroleptic depot injections, and that abilify pill that digitally tells on you for ‘non-compliance.’

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