Debt problems blamed for rising demand for antidepressants
Debt problems blamed for rising demand for antidepressants
- Friday, 8 April 2011Debt problems are helping push up demand for antidepressants across Britain, the findings of new research suggest.
Figures obtained from the NHS Prescriptions Service by the BBC show that 41 million prescriptions were issued to Britons over the course of last year alone.
Notably, more than half of these were written out for antidepressants, with GPs reporting a four-fold increase in the use of such treatments over the past four years.
Since this period coincides with the onset of the global economic crisis, experts have warned that
debt problems have led to a marked rise in mental illness, with this trend expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
"The financial strain on many people has never been worse," Emma O'Neill, chief executive of Depression Alliance UK explained.
"They are worried about their spiralling bills and where their next meal is coming from."
Meanwhile, many people's money worries look set to worsen after Labour warned that, as Europe's banking chiefs put interest rates up, homeowners will be hit in the pocket.

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