Some patients are taking anti-depressants for longer than the recommended time

Anti-depressants work as a ‘chemical lift’ by increasing the activity of the feel-good chemicals in the brain in order to raise the mood. However these short term benefits may be at the cost of longer term health problems if people use anti-depressants too regularly.

Anti-depressants are meant to be taken for nine months for a first depressive episode and for a maximum of two years for those experiencing further depression according the the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. However repeat prescriptions mean that patients are using tablets for longer than the recommended time frame, and in some cases for over five years, without any check-ups suggested for any long term drug usage. In the light of this trend research has shown that using anti-depressants for long stretches of time may be linked to more serious health problems, including bleeding in the gut, low sodium levels which increases the likelihood of falling, and an increased risk of strokes.

Currently nine out of ten people who go to their GP with depression are prescribed anti-depressants but with recent research suggesting that anti-depressants are no better than placebo drugs in all but the most severe of cases could it be time to consider reforming the treatment of mental health problems through a greater emphasis on “talking therapies”?