More than a million prescriptions for antidepressants are written to teenagers in England every year, official figures show.
The number of drugs handed out to 13 to 19-year-olds rose by a quarter between 2016 and 2020, latest NHS figures show.
It includes prescriptions until the end of 2020, after a year of national Covid lockdowns and school and university closures.
A growing body of evidence is beginning to show that virus restrictions have taken a toll on young people’s mental health.
The NHS figures – obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request – also show that the use of antidepressants has risen sharply among adults in their 20s.
Mental health and children’s charities told MailOnline that the figures were a “worrying sign” of a mental health crisis in Britain.
They warned that some young people may have received medication from GPs because they were unable to get a consultation due to pandemic backlogs.
Antidepressant prescriptions among teenagers rose by a quarter in England in 2020 compared to 2016. The biggest rise was seen among 13- and 19-year-olds, where prescription rates rose by around a third
Young adults, often leaving home for the first time and starting their careers, also saw a jump in antidepressant prescription rates of about 40 percent
NHS data records prescriptions, not individual patients, meaning someone can be recorded multiple times.
A total of 1.03 million prescriptions for antidepressants were made to people between the ages of 13 and 19 in 2020, according to the latest available data.
This is a 26 percent increase compared to the number of prescriptions in 2016 (822,717).
What to do if you are a parent who needs help with your child
If your child is struggling and needs help, you can feel really overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Remember that you and your child are not alone. There are services, professionals and organizations that can help you, and information on how to access them.
Trying to find the right help for your child and navigating different services can be really tiring at times. Remember to take care of yourself as you go – and remind yourself that you’re doing your best and it’s not always easy.
QUICK TIPS FOR ACCESSING HELP
Your local GP can discuss concerns about your child’s mental health and can refer them to other services, such as CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).
You can access counseling through CAMHS and other NHS services.
Talking to professionals can sometimes seem daunting and you may find it difficult to find the right words to explain what is happening or what help you think your child needs.
Parents in similar situations have found that the tips below can help.
1. Jot down your concerns
Before you talk to a professional, make a note of your concerns and any times you notice particularly troubling behaviors or feelings. You can do this really simply by making a list on your phone. You can then take this with you to appointments to give the specialist a clear picture of your child’s situation and support any requests for referrals.
2. Explore local services
If you are on a waiting list for help, find out if there are services available locally that you can access in the meantime. Your child can also get more immediate online support from organizations such as The Mix and Kooth. You can find other online services and helplines at the bottom of this page.
3. Try talking to other parents
As you navigate your local services, try talking to other parents who have been through this, or talk to friends or family who might be able to give you some advice on where to start. For example, if you know someone who works in mental health support, they may have a good idea of what is available locally.
4. Follow-up after appointment
Whenever possible, follow up by email after arranged meetings – for example with teachers or other staff at your child’s school – to confirm what has been agreed. Then check back a week or two later to find out what happened. It’s a good way to keep things moving.
Source: YoungMinds.
The growth was greatest among the youngest and oldest teenagers, with rates among 13-year-olds and 19-year-olds rising by about a third, to 33 percent and 34 percent respectively.
Antidepressant prescriptions also increased by 39% in people in their 20s over the same time period.
A total of 7.1 million prescriptions for antidepressants in this group were made in 2020, an increase of 2 million compared to 2016.
Ollie Parker, head of external affairs at mental health charity Young Minds, called the rise “worrying”.
“These figures are another worrying sign of the crisis in mental health services for young people,” he said.
“Record numbers are trying to access support and very often are finding that options are limited.”
There was an overall increase of 12 percent among all age groups between 2016 and 2020, the data showed.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that a record 420,000 under-18s were either in or waiting to start mental health treatment in February, a 54% increase on the same time in 2020, before the pandemic.
Mr Parker said the demands on mental health services may have left many family doctors feeling they had no choice but to prescribe medication to help young people in crisis.
“Medication can play an important role in helping young people manage their mental health, but should never replace talking therapies such as counselling,” he said.
“Long waiting times and high thresholds for treatment may mean that GPs feel under pressure to prescribe drugs, but they should not be used as a Band-Aid for poor access to other forms of support.”
Laurence Guinness, chief executive of The Childhood Trust, a charity representing children from poorer families, was also troubled by the data.
“The rise in prescription drugs to treat adolescent mental health is a worrying trend,” he said.
“The child and adolescent mental health service system cannot cope with referrals and too many children are left with no alternative but to seek help from their GP, who is often limited to prescribing medication.”
Stephen Buckley, head of information at Mind, said young people’s mental health had suffered significantly during the pandemic.
“We know that this generation has been particularly affected by the pandemic, struggling with interrupted education, isolation and loneliness and now facing job and income insecurity,” he said.
He also said more people taking anti-depressants could potentially be positive as it meant people were seeking help for their mental health problems rather than suffering in silence.
However, Mr Buckley added that the trend of increasing prescriptions for under-18s was worrying.
“Antidepressants can be effective, but they can cause unpleasant side effects and are generally not recommended for people under the age of 18 or for the initial treatment of mild depression,” he said.
“This rise in antidepressant use reflects the alarming state of young people’s wellbeing across the country and the need to invest in early mental health support before problems become more expensive and difficult to treat.”
He called on the Government to invest more in children’s mental health services in England.
Social media use, university debt and the prospect of never being able to afford their own home have been blamed for the rise in mental health problems among young people.
Chris Martin, chief executive of The Mix, a charity for under-25s, said: “We have seen a worrying rise in young people talking about their use of antidepressants.
“Our own research with young people revealed that antidepressants are the second most used drug among 16-25 year olds and that one in 10 young people have also misused antidepressants in the past year.”
Mr Martin also attributed the rise to overburdened mental health services.
“Our concern is that this is strongly linked to the lack of time offered to young people seeking mental health support from overburdened health services,” he said.
“While antidepressants may be appropriate for some, they should not always be the first treatment option when a young person may benefit more from accessing talking therapies or advice on sleep, exercise and diet.”
Charities have warned that some young people are being given antidepressants by GPs because they cannot get other treatment such as therapy from overburdened health services
There has been a record rise in the number of children and young people listed as having an ‘open referral’ to NHS child and adolescent mental health services in England, with 420,314 as of February
There are many antidepressants of various types that can be prescribed by the NHS, the most famous being Prozac with other examples being Zispin, Molipaxin and Cipramil.
Although they are best known for being used to treat depression, they can also be used to treat other mental conditions such as anxiety, crippling phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Antidepressants have many potential side effects, ranging from relatively mild ones such as headaches, diarrhea or nausea to the more serious serotonin syndrome, in which the body produces too much of the mood-regulating chemical.
Serotonin syndrome, although uncommon, can lead to serious health problems such as seizures and irregular heart rhythms
Responding to the data, Professor Subodh Dave, dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the NHS prescribing data should be interpreted with caution as antidepressants have wider clinical use.
“These figures should be interpreted with caution as antidepressants can be prescribed to young people for a range of health conditions, including physical ones,” he said.
Some antidepressants have other uses outside of mental health, such as helping to relieve chronic pain conditions such as persistent neck and back pain
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