Half a million more anti-depressant pills prescribed for Scots

THE number of anti-depressant drugs prescribed in the past year rose by almost half a million and cost the NHS in Scotland more than £3 million extra.

Official figures show the number of the specialist drugs prescribed has risen by 1,187,551 in the past five years.

They reveal 5,015,323 anti-depressants were dispensed by the NHS in 2011-12 at a cost of £31,413,645. The year before there were 4,488,120 prescriptions, with a price tag of £28,812,643.

Yesterday, the Scottish Tories condemned the rise, claiming the SNP is losing its battle to 
reduce and treat mental health issues in Scotland.

Tory health spokesman, Jackson Carlaw, has called for more “imaginative initiatives” to treat patients rather than issue them with drugs.

The drugs, which include Prozac and Citalepram, are mainly used to treat patients with depression, but are also prescribed to help people with panic attacks, agoraphobia, bulimia and post -raumatic stress disorder.

The SNP in its 2007 manifesto pledged to reduce the use of anti-depressants in Scotland by 10 per cent by 2009. The party said: “Improved early intervention can help prevent the development of serious mental health problems and reduce over prescribing of anti-depressants.

Figures show the number of these drugs prescribed has risen every year since 2007. Meanwhile, the cost of supplying them has fluctuated.

Norman Provan, associate director of Royal College of Nursing Scotland, said the rise was putting pressure on health board budgets and called for more investment in the training of specialist nurses to treat mental health patients.

He said: “The Scottish Government’s mental health strategy must be matched by the necessary investment in training and support for community-mental health nurses, and others, to offer the right services to people with depression.”

Mr Carlaw has called on youngsters with depression to be given increased access to libraries and for new mothers at risk of post-natal depression to be given free gym passes and free access to swimming pools.

He said: “These numbers are now getting out of control. In 2007 the SNP promised a solution to this, but it is nowhere near being delivered. We simply cannot afford to have so many people dependent on these pills to make them feel better.

“The SNP’s pledge to stop the increase has come to nothing. If they are serious about addressing this issue, they have to get the message through to GPs not to hand out tablets as the first resort.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We now have a much better knowledge of how best these should be prescribed and how effective they are, and GPs are becoming increasingly effective at identifying and diagnosing depression.”