Figures released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre reveal that over 61 million prescriptions for antidepressants were filed in 2015 in England, including citalopram and fluoxetine. Gillian Connor of the Rethink Mental Illness charity said, "The reasons for this increase in antidepressant prescriptions could include a greater awareness of mental illness and more willingness to seek help. However, with our overstretched and underfunded mental health services, too often antidepressants are the only treatment available."
The new numbers show an increase in the use of antidepressant drug of 57.1 million in 2014 from 29.4 million in 2005. While UK guidelines say people should be offered antidepressants as a first treatment option for moderate depression, critics have constantly argued saying it would be better for people to take therapies. Vicki Nash of a charity called Mind, said that while talking therapies are becoming more widely available, they still aren't available to everyone who needs them. "It is also likely that some areas of the country with particularly high prescription rates simply don't have other forms of treatments as readily available," she said.
