REVEALED: Experts unravel the reasons why Tendring GPs hand out the highest numbers of anti-depressants

Research has found the number of anti-depressants being prescribed has increased nationally by seven times to 64 million a year across England.

The findings also give Tendring the unwanted title as being top of the table for the East of England with 1.78 prescriptions given out per person last year.

The district had the highest proportion of prescriptions for its 141,200 population and is the number one coastal town for anti-depressants.

The data, collected by analytic database provider Exasol, captures every GP prescription dispensed at English pharmacies in the past six years.

This includes Colchester, where 1.36 prescriptions are given for anti-depressants per person for its population of 183,900.

To put it into perspective, in Brentwood, where the figures are lowest in Essex, 0.74 prescriptions were dispensed last year.

Sheila Baldwin, head of medicines management at the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, says the data is useful but should be “treated with caution”.

She said: “It doesn’t necessarily mean more people have depression or more GPs are using anti-depressants to treat this form of mental health illness.

“Anti-depressants are, of course, used to treat clinical depression and a number of other conditions including obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and migraines.

“Across north-east Essex, we’ve seen a real increase in the number of people with more complex and long-term health conditions which are often linked to levels of deprivation, and tend to increase as people live longer.

“What’s important is providing treatment to help people get better.

"Today, we’re much better at identifying and treating depression and other common mental health conditions than we were 25 years ago and likewise, people are more comfortable in seeking help.”

Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

The East prescribed, on average, 1.18 prescriptions of anti-depressants per person last year - slightly higher than the national average of 1.16.

Much like a postcode lottery, the figures highlight stark regional variations across the UK which Exasol says shows “a clear link to deprivation in the north and east of England”.

Mid and North Essex Mind has operated in Colchester and Tendring for more than 30 years and reports an increased demand for mental health services across the board. However, this issue is not unique to Tendring.

Jane Elliott, service operations manager at the charity, explains an increase in anti-depressant prescriptions is reflective of the scale of unmet need in the mental health sector.

She said: “The Tendring district includes one of the most deprived areas in the UK. Low incomes, social problems and poor mental health often go hand in hand.

“People with mental health problems are more likely to experience poverty just as people who are socially disadvantaged are more likely to experience common mental health problems.

“Tendring also includes an increasingly ageing population for which we know loneliness is showing itself as a problem. Loneliness increases stress levels and can contribute to mental health.”

'Unmet need' - Jane Elliott, of Mid and North Essex Mind

Managing an individual’s mental health relies on what Ms Elliott describes as a “patchwork of local health and non-health services”.

But at a time when mental health budgets have been slashed by millions of pounds - despite NHS England calling for an extra £1billion to be invested by 2021 - access to such vital services is problematic.

“Accessibility to services is key and unfortunately, we don’t always see consistency in all geographical areas because of the way statutory funding can be managed,” Ms Elliott said.

“Current changes to how public and voluntary services are funded, commissioned, delivered and evaluated mean this essential support is being stripped away.”

The CCG’s message is for people with mild to moderate common mental health conditions, anti-depressants are part of a package of care available across the region including Health in Mind and other talking therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling.

With guidance and support, patients can make a sustained recovery, quicker and more effectively by using these services, experts say.

Nonetheless, access still plays a pivotal role.

Ms Elliott added: “Talking therapies are becoming more widely available as part of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme but talking therapies still aren’t available to everyone who needs them.

“It’s also likely some areas of the country with particularly high prescription rates simply don’t have other forms of treatments as readily available.

“Giving people a choice of treatments is key - whether that’s drugs, talking therapies, alternatives such as arts therapy, or a combination of some, or all of these.

“It’s vital we better understand exactly how many people are taking anti-depressants, for how long, and whether they’re receiving other treatment alongside medication, as recommended in NICE guidance.”