Antidepressant use in England soars as pandemic cuts counselling access

Calls to psychological well being helplines and prescriptions for antidepressants have reached an all-time excessive, whereas access to probably life-saving speaking therapies has plunged throughout the coronavirus pandemic, a Guardian investigation has discovered.

More than 6 million individuals in England acquired antidepressants in the three months to September, the very best determine on report.

This is believed to have been right down to counselling providers going surfing, which some docs have deemed inappropriate for sure sufferers, whereas some sufferers had been reluctant to hunt face-to-face assist or add additional stress to well being providers.

Concerns have been raised that important early intervention therapy won’t have been given, with consultants saying the longer individuals anticipate applicable assist the “more severe and complex their difficulties and their lives can become”.

Lucy Schonegevel, the deputy campaigns director on the psychological well being charity Rethink, stated there was a “big risk of antidepressants being prescribed with no support”, including that such medicines ought to “go hand in hand” with remedy.

Her considerations had been echoed by the psychological well being campaigner Natasha Devon, who stated: “People are going to their GPs with symptoms of mental illness and being sent away with a bag of medication, having been put on an 18-month waiting list.”

Dr Esther Cohen-Tovée, who’s chair of the British Psychological Society’s division of medical psychology, stated: “I’m shocked and extremely concerned about the massive extent of the reduction in referrals for psychological help during a time of huge anxiety, stress and distress for the whole population. This is even more concerning when there has been a huge increase in the prescription of antidepressants.”

She stated psychological assist “can be a lifesaver” and “the longer people wait, the more severe and complex their difficulties and their lives can become”.

Cohen-Tovée stated a rise in sources for psychological providers was urgently wanted and in the event that they weren’t offered the “impacts will be devastating”. She stated they’d add “to the existing and profound direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic itself … hampering our efforts towards recovery for individuals, families and communities”.

Dr Gary Howsam, the vice-chair of the Royal College of GPs, stated its members had reported a rise in the variety of sufferers presenting with psychological well being considerations, together with nervousness and low moods, throughout the pandemic.

“While for some these signs could also be delicate, for others they might be danger elements for self-harm and suicidal behaviour and, as such, GPs take these considerations very critically.

“An increase in antidepressant prescribing over the course of the pandemic is not surprising, given the difficult circumstances people are living under and should not automatically be seen as a negative thing,” he stated, including that this means that these struggling are nonetheless in search of assist.

There had been 601,530 referrals to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme in the six months to the top of August, in keeping with the latest available data, 235,000 fewer than in 2019, a 28% drop.

Appointments for essentially the most acute circumstances additionally fell. Hospital attendances throughout 10 psychological well being, psychology and psychiatric classes fell by 9% in the seven months to the top of September whereas first appointments fell by 26%. An NHS spokesperson stated when non-acute circumstances had been included the drop-off was much less extreme.

Experts stated the autumn was attributable to a mix of some individuals not being offered applicable help, for instance, group remedy, as providers went on-line, a reluctance among some to return ahead attributable to Covid considerations and repair interruptions throughout the first wave.

The figures level to an unmet want at a time of heightened mental health strain brought on by Covid together with isolation, lockdown, sickness, bereavement and considerations over monetary safety and job losses. In July, the Office for National Statistics stated the variety of adults in Britain with despair doubled during the coronavirus pandemic.

There have additionally been indications of direct Covid impacts on psychological well being. A current research discovered that one in 5 individuals who have had Covid-19 were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder such as nervousness, despair or insomnia inside three months of testing constructive for the virus.

There are indicators that the non-public sector and charities are absorbing a few of the demand.

A spokesperson for Priory, a personal psychological well being supplier, stated it had a quiet interval on the top of lockdown however had since seen a “significant rise in referrals to our private acute services”, with a 70% enhance in non-public referrals in October in contrast with October 2019.

However, Scott Weich, a professor on the psychological well being analysis unit on the University of Sheffield, stated the present scenario was not solely as a result of Covid pandemic: “Years of austerity led to rising charges of psychiatric morbidity and, on the identical time, lowered availability and access to care.

“What is clear is that it will take time to get back to where we were before the pandemic, let alone where we should be in terms of delivering high quality mental health services.”

An NHS England spokesperson stated some individuals initially had considerations about coming ahead for care however that psychological well being providers remained open and referrals have returned to close pre-Covid ranges.

“Talking therapy sessions which the public can self-refer on to for both face to face and online sessions and referrals are now rapidly increasing, while the establishment of all-age 24/7 crisis service helplines, and self-help websites such as Every Mind Matters can also aid those people going through a tough time.”

• In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans might be contacted on 116 123 or e mail [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the disaster help service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other worldwide helplines might be discovered at www.befrienders.org.