Use of antidepressants up 10% despite pledge to cut

Published on Tuesday 15 December 2009 21:49

NEW figures have revealed that the use of antidepressants has increased 10 per cent since the SNP came to power.

The rise represents another failure by SNP to deliver on its manifesto promise of cutting the use of drugs for depression by 10 per cent by 2009.

It joins paying off student debt, reducing class sizes for P1 to P3 to 18 and scrapping the council tax in a list of undelivered pledges. The increase means one in ten adults in Scotland takes medication for depression.

Promising a healthier nation, the party's 2007 manifesto said: "Improved early intervention can help prevent the development of serious mental health problems and reduce over-prescribing of antidepressants. An SNP government will support the development of mental health and wellbeing services, such as counselling and talking therapies. With this support, we aim to reduce the use of antidepressants by 10 per cent by 2009."

The Conservatives' health spokeswoman, Mary Scanlon said the rise in the use of the drugs was a serious issue.

"The main reason that GPs continue to increase the prescribing of antidepressants is the shortage of provision of talking therapies, such as psychiatry, psychology and cognitive behavioural therapy," she said.

However, public health minister Shona Robison said the rise was the responsibility of doctors.

"Prescribing of drugs is a clinical decision taken by doctors in discussion with their patients," she said. "We should remember that many of these medications enable patients who might otherwise have been disabled by their mental health condition to live a normal life in the community."