Last week I was interviewed on Radio 4’s Today programme with my parliamentary colleague Danny Kruger, about the sad death of Thomas Kingston who took his own life earlier in the year. He was suffering an adverse reaction to antidepressants that he had been prescribed.
I chair the All Party Parliamentary Group ‘Beyond Pills’ which Danny started a few years ago.
We discussed some of the issues around the treatment of mental health, especially depression, and highlighted some key problems. The average amount of time available for an appointment with a GP is about ten minutes. This is nowhere near enough time to begin to address the problems that a patient with depression and anxiety may have. There are almost always a number of complex and related causes.
In the absence of rapid access to other therapies – especially talking therapies, but other treatments such as social prescribing as well – it is understandable why doctors prescribe antidepressants in the numbers they do. Around 1 in 5 people in the UK are currently taking them. For many of these patients this works well and the treatment is effective. But some embark on a course of drugs without fully understanding the possible consequences, especially on how to come off them.
As a society, we need to find ways of moving away from the over-medicalisation of mental health. A greater sense of community and a healthier society, with better relationships, greater interpersonal contact, physical and social activity, and more opportunities to realise our self-worth would go a long way towards easing the mental health issues we face.
Better access to talking and social therapies will also reduce our reliance on chemical treatments and will actually be more cost-effective in the medium to longer term. I have long been a champion of these approaches.
And I also believe that a specific helpline for people taking anti-depressants, and especially those coming off a course of treatment, would be very beneficial. Changes in the level of drugs being taken can have very a profound impact on mood and your ability to cope. It can be a dangerous moment.
Talk to someone.
- NHS 111: Call 111 and select the mental health option to speak to a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP). PWPs can offer advice and connect you with other services.
- Samaritans: Call 116 123 for free, 24-hour emotional support.
- Shout 85258: Text SHOUT to 85258 for free, 24/7 support from trained volunteers
- Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Crisis Team: 0800 1690 398
