This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Prescription of antidepressant and diabetes drugs rise, HSCI report warns
According to a report by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCI), there has been an increase in the prescriptions for antidepressants and diabetes drugs in England.
The latest figures have shown that doctors and other health staff issued over one billion prescriptions in 2015, almost twice the number compared to a decade before. The data also found that for the ninth year running, diabetes drugs cost the most to the NHS, at £2.6 million per day. Antidepressants were found to cost the NHS around £780,000 per day.
Vicki Nash, of the mental health charity Mind, commented: "It may be that more people are coming forward and seeking help, or that doctors are getting better at spotting the symptoms of mental health problems, but these are unlikely to be the only reasons.
"It is vital we better understand exactly how many people are taking antidepressants, for how long and whether they are receiving other treatment alongside medication, as recommended in NICE guidance."
Meanwhile, the report outlined that prescriptions for antibacterial medicines such as antibiotics, has fallen by more than five per cent compared with 2014.
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