Prescriptions for antidepressants in Wales double in last 10 years

Mind Cymru is urging the Welsh Government to lead a nationwide effort to address root causes of poor mental health as research shows the number of prescriptions in Wales for antidepressants has doubled in the last 10 years.

The charity’s first ever ‘Big Mental Health Report’ launched today shows the ongoing challenges many of us face due to the cost-of-living crisis, economic uncertainty and other issues affecting people’s everyday lives is contributing to a mental health system struggling to meet demand.

Its findings include evidence that the number of antidepressant prescriptions made by GPs doubled between 2010/11 and 2022/23 (from 3.5 million to 7 million) and prescriptions for medications for psychosis rose from 661,000 to 782,000.

Data

The report brings together data publicly available from a range of sources relating to mental health, as well as insight and research from across the UK, to bring together a wider picture of mental health in Wales.

Research is included from Bevan Foundation identifying that worries about finances were shown to affect the mental health of 44% of people in Wales, alongside their ability to work, and the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, which identified that people experiencing mental health problems were also found to earn £8,400 less per year than those without.

Mind Cymru says these figures won’t change until the Welsh Government takes urgent action to help public bodies, schools, employers and other organisations in Wales work together in addressing underlying issues behind poor mental health, and ensure people with a mental health problem get appropriate support when they need it.

Sue O’Leary, Director at Mind Cymru, said: “The cost of living has worryingly become the ‘new normal’ for lots of people in Wales and financial worries we may have for the future are starting to take their toll on children and young people too.

“People from racialised communities are worried about access to training and employment, and poor or insecure housing conditions continue to exacerbate poor mental health.”

“We know there has been a gradual decline in mental wellbeing across Wales which pre-dates the pandemic and what this report shows us is that we have reached a point where everybody – from the government to public bodies, schools, employers and more – has a part to play in improving mental health outcomes for everyone.”

Combining publicly available data on mental health, stigma and discrimination with people’s first-hand experiences of mental health problems, the Big Mental Health Report is the first time Mind Cymru has produced a state of the nation overview of mental health in Wales, and is now set to be published on an annual basis.

Qualitative research

It also covers qualitative research conducted by YouGov looking at the experiences of people with severe and enduring mental illness receiving mental health support from professionals including GPs and voluntary sector organisations, alongside their experiences of stigma and discrimination.

The report also highlights:

– Almost two thirds (60%) of people in one UK study said that the cost-of-living crisis is hurting their wellbeing.

– In 2023, there were 75,816 requests made for a mental health needs assessment in Wales, with 13,248 of these for children and young people.

– The prevalence of anxiety for children and young people referred for school-based counselling in Wales has increased, with 12% referred due to anxiety in 2015/16 compared to 46% in 2022/23.

Simon Jones, Head of Policy & Campaigns at Mind Cymru, added that without greater transparency around the collection of data from public health bodies and other organisations it was still difficult to get a fully comprehensive overview of the state of mental health in Wales, however.

He said: “In order to understand how to tackle the rising level of mental health need, we need to really understand it first, and achieving this means having a clear, consistent source of information that lays out what’s happening, and what needs to change.

“The Big Mental Health Report is certainly a great starting point for this and we’re really pleased to be able to provide a nationwide overview of the mental health picture in Wales for the first time.

“Compiling it has also shown us, however, that as a nation we need to work a lot harder and smarter at identifying those of us who are more likely to experience mental health problems in the first place.

“There are a number of different factors that can cause somebody to experience poor mental health, or a deterioration of an existing mental health problem, and this report has shown us that taking a cross-government approach to tackling these issues is the greatest hope we have of creating a mentally healthy nation in the future.”

A copy of the Big Mental Health Report is available on the Mind website – www.mind.org.uk

More information on looking after your mental health if you’re concerned about money can also be found on the Mind website HERE