Older people are twice as likely to be prescribed antidepressants as twentysomethings, with concerns growing that doctors are using drugs to combat emotional problems and “medicalising” loneliness.
Figures obtained by The Times suggest that Britain is suffering from an “epidemic of mismanaged distress”, with antidepressant use rising across the country and millions of people stuck on the drugs for the long term.
NHS data shows that 525,970 people aged 18-24 were prescribed an antidepressant last year, 11 per cent of the age group. This rises to 2,794,451 aged 40-59, 19 per cent of the age group, and 2,578,454 over-60s, or 20 per cent.
According to the World Health Organisation, about 5 per cent of all adults are thought to have depression at any one
