A rocketing rise in the level of anti-depressants prescribed in Tayside and Fife in recent years could be attributed to the medicine being used to treat a variety of illnesses other than depression, it has been claimed.
Statistics published by the Information Services Division show the amount of prescriptions in Fife rose from 84,503 in 1993/94 to 328,967 in 2011/12.
In Tayside the number for the same period was 91,874, rising to 373,535 while the cost to both health boards for 2011/12 totalled nearly £4.5 million.
In Scotland as a whole, the number of anti-depressants dispensed in 2011/12 was 5.01 million, amounting to £31.3 million.
Because anti-depressants are now prescribed to treat various disorders affecting the central nervous system, such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, pain, migraines and even incontinence, NHS Tayside and NHS Fife say the figures are more reflective of that rather than a sign depression is on the rise.
David Gill, head of pharmacy for Angus Community Health Partnership, said: “GPs are actively screening patients for depression and are likely to use medicines as one of a range of treatment options.
“It is important, however, to note that anti-depressants are used for a range of medical conditions, not just depression, and so a rise in prescribed items does not necessarily mean a rise in cases of depression.
“Another important point is that the number of items prescribed is not the same as the number of people receiving prescriptions and there will be variation in the number of items prescribed to a person in a year depending on how often they receive prescriptions.
“For example, monthly prescriptions would be 12 items per year whereas bi-monthly prescriptions would only be six items per year.”
Dr Brian Montgomery, NHS Fife medical director, admitted the kingdom had also seen a significant rise in the number of prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs in recent years.
“This rise reflects a number of factors, however for example there is more awareness of depression as a treatable condition. There is also access to new, more effective anti-depressant drugs.”
Meanwhile, chief executive at the Scottish Association for Mental Health, Billy Watson, said it could not be denied that the statistics were reflective of the prevalence of mental health problems in society.
“What is important is that people can access the right support at the right time, whether that’s anti-depressants, psychological therapies or something else like exercise.”
The Scottish Government recently introduced a new target to ensure that people can access psychological therapies within 18 weeks by next year which both NHS Tayside and NHS Fife are working towards.