There’s a surprisingly simple reason for England’s high antidepressant use: lots of people need them | Dean Burnett
This has resulted in a swathe of media coverage expressing alarm over the increase, with questions about what could, or should, be done to reverse the trend.Such a high level of antidepressant use should, of course, prompt concern and reflection. But the popular claim that has taken hold is that antidepressant use is too high because of “overprescribing”, as Dr John Read, a professor of clinical psychology, says in the Daily Mail. This is the idea that patients are being prescribed antidepressants when they shouldn’t be, or when better, safer alternatives are available.This idea is worth challenging – but first it’s important to consider how we got here.
- ▪This has resulted in a swathe of media coverage expressing alarm over the increase, with questions about what could, or should, be done to reverse the trend.Such a high level of antidepressant use should, of course, prompt concern and refle
- ▪But the popular claim that has taken hold is that antidepressant use is too high because of “overprescribing”, as Dr John Read, a professor of clinical psychology, says in the Daily Mail.
- ▪This is the idea that patients are being prescribed antidepressants when they shouldn’t be, or when better, safer alternatives are available.This idea is worth challenging – but first it’s important to consider how we got here.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — Politics |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/14/england-record-antidepressant-use-gp-guidelines-overprescribing |
| Publication time | Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:00:58 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-14T12:16:51.165Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-14T12:16:51.165Z |
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| Cluster | pY9TBDMvf-i2 · 1 stories |
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Illustration: Nash Weerasekera/The GuardianView image in fullscreen Illustration: Nash Weerasekera/The GuardianOpinionMental healthThere’s a surprisingly simple reason for England’s high antidepressant use: lots of people need themDean BurnettThe idea that GPs are ignoring guidelines and ‘overprescribing’ doesn’t hold water. Instead, look to our social and economic crisesDean Burnett is a doctor of neuroscience Mon 14 Sep 2026 08.00 EDTLast modified on Mon 14 Sep 2026 08.03 EDTShareA new NHS report has revealed the highest ever levels of antidepressant use recorded in England, with roughly one in seven people prescribed an antidepressant item in 2025-26.
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