One in eight people in England are taking antidepressants, two thirds of them female, after the lockdowns fuelled a 7% increase in demand for medication in one year, NHS statistics show.
Record numbers of antidepressants are being prescribed to young children, with almost 250,000 prescribed to children aged between five and 16 in 2020 – the year of lockdowns – alone.
The use of antidepressants among British children has reached an all-time high over the past year of lockdowns, with many children having been prescribed drugs because waiting times to see professionals were too long.
