Antidepressant prescriptions are going up Colin Hawkins / Alamy Stock Photo

The number of antidepressant prescriptions dispensed in England exceeded 70 million last year, according to data published by NHS Digital. This is almost double the number dispensed a decade ago in 2008. It is also a rise from 67.5 million in 2017 and 64.7 million in 2016.

The figures include all items dispensed by the NHS in England, except those given out in hospitals or private prescriptions.

The overall cost of prescriptions dispensed in the community in England decreased by 3.7 per cent last year, dropping from £9.2 billion in 2017 to £8.8 billion in 2018. The total number of prescription items dispensed increased slightly, rising by 0.3 per cent from 1.1 billion in 2017.


Prescriptions for some low-value over-the-counter medicines have been cut since 2017 in a bid to save money. Paracetamol, cold treatments and cough mixture are among the products that are no longer routinely prescribed as a result.

“While antidepressants play an important role for some patients, an attitude of ‘a pill for every ill’ can mean not only do some people end up taking medicine they don’t need to, but taxpayer funding is spent on avoidable prescriptions,” said NHS England.

“This is why the NHS is rolling out alternatives to medication, like 1,000 social prescribing link workers giving people care and advice tailored to their condition and, for mental health issues, the world’s most ambitious programme of talking therapies which can resolve common conditions like depression and anxiety.”