Saturday, December 16, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Ministers act to wean Scotland off £55m-a-year antidepressant habit
LYNDSAY MOSS HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
DOCTORS issued more than 3.5 million prescriptions for antidepressants in Scotland last year, three times what they were handing out 13 years ago, official figures have revealed.
A huge increase in the number of people seeking help for depression, combined with a shortage of alternative therapies, is blamed for the massive increase in the issuing of drugs such as Prozac.
Scotland spends 40 per cent more per head of population on antidepressants compared to the rest of the UK, costing the NHS £55 million a year.
Ministers are so concerned about the situation that they have launched a campaign to offer alternative treatments in an attempt to limit, and eventually to reverse, the trend.
The rise in prescriptions is dramatic. According to Scottish Executive figures, in 1992-3, Scottish GPs issued 1.16 million prescriptions, costing just £12.28 million. By last year, this had risen to 3.52 million prescriptions.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said a likely explanation for the increase in prescriptions was that more people were seeking help from their doctor, rather than that Scotland was becoming a more depressed country.
But he said the lack of alternative treatments was also driving the trend. "Even where GPs do not want to prescribe antidepressants they are forced to reach for the prescription pad because there may be long waits for therapies such as counselling," Dr McCulloch said.
"These drugs are not effective in mild depression but if it is a choice between that and a ten-month wait to see a therapist, doctors don't feel they have any other option. Ten months is a lifetime if you are living with depression."
He welcomed the target to halt increases in antidepressant prescribing, but said other services must be delivered.
Ruth Lang, information officer at Depression Alliance Scotland said: "In many cases there are just not enough counsellors to treat people without drugs. GPs are in a no-win situation because they can't refer patients for counselling but can't not treat them either."
Ms Lang said doctors were already starting to use different treatments for depression, such as exercise programmes. But antidepressants should still be available for those who benefit from them.
"We would support reducing antidepressant prescribing but only if other services are in place," she said.
Yesterday's Executive report, Delivering for Mental Health, includes 14 commitments to improve services, including providing more access to psychological therapies, funded to the tune of £2.5 million. It pledged to halt the rise in antidepressant prescriptions by 2009-10.
The report said the target was not a criticism of existing practice or of the drugs, but it "reflects the need to ensure that GPs are able to call on and offer the best treatment for these illnesses and not just the most convenient".
Ministers also pledged to reduce the number of mental health patients having to be readmitted to hospital by 10 per cent by the end of 2009, by providing more support for people at home.
The health minister, Lewis Macdonald, said the mental health of young people was also a priority, and that everyone working with children would have basic mental health training by 2008.
He said the Executive was also committed to halving the number of children who have to be admitted to mental health beds set aside for adults by 2009.
Dr Tom Brown, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, backed the report. Dr Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative health spokeswoman, said the Executive's intentions were good, but more needed to be done.
The SNP also welcomed moves towards a wider range of mental health services.
DOCTORS issued more than 3.5 million prescriptions for antidepressants in Scotland last year, three times what they were handing out 13 years ago, official figures have revealed.
A huge increase in the number of people seeking help for depression, combined with a shortage of alternative therapies, is blamed for the massive increase in the issuing of drugs such as Prozac.
Scotland spends 40 per cent more per head of population on antidepressants compared to the rest of the UK, costing the NHS £55 million a year.
Ministers are so concerned about the situation that they have launched a campaign to offer alternative treatments in an attempt to limit, and eventually to reverse, the trend.
The rise in prescriptions is dramatic. According to Scottish Executive figures, in 1992-3, Scottish GPs issued 1.16 million prescriptions, costing just £12.28 million. By last year, this had risen to 3.52 million prescriptions.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said a likely explanation for the increase in prescriptions was that more people were seeking help from their doctor, rather than that Scotland was becoming a more depressed country.
But he said the lack of alternative treatments was also driving the trend. "Even where GPs do not want to prescribe antidepressants they are forced to reach for the prescription pad because there may be long waits for therapies such as counselling," Dr McCulloch said.
"These drugs are not effective in mild depression but if it is a choice between that and a ten-month wait to see a therapist, doctors don't feel they have any other option. Ten months is a lifetime if you are living with depression."
He welcomed the target to halt increases in antidepressant prescribing, but said other services must be delivered.
Ruth Lang, information officer at Depression Alliance Scotland said: "In many cases there are just not enough counsellors to treat people without drugs. GPs are in a no-win situation because they can't refer patients for counselling but can't not treat them either."
Ms Lang said doctors were already starting to use different treatments for depression, such as exercise programmes. But antidepressants should still be available for those who benefit from them.
"We would support reducing antidepressant prescribing but only if other services are in place," she said.
Yesterday's Executive report, Delivering for Mental Health, includes 14 commitments to improve services, including providing more access to psychological therapies, funded to the tune of £2.5 million. It pledged to halt the rise in antidepressant prescriptions by 2009-10.
The report said the target was not a criticism of existing practice or of the drugs, but it "reflects the need to ensure that GPs are able to call on and offer the best treatment for these illnesses and not just the most convenient".
Ministers also pledged to reduce the number of mental health patients having to be readmitted to hospital by 10 per cent by the end of 2009, by providing more support for people at home.
The health minister, Lewis Macdonald, said the mental health of young people was also a priority, and that everyone working with children would have basic mental health training by 2008.
He said the Executive was also committed to halving the number of children who have to be admitted to mental health beds set aside for adults by 2009.
Dr Tom Brown, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, backed the report. Dr Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative health spokeswoman, said the Executive's intentions were good, but more needed to be done.
The SNP also welcomed moves towards a wider range of mental health services.
Pill Popping Culture
IN 2005, the House of Commons health committee accused drug companies of fostering a pill-popping culture under which medicines were used to resolve every problem - but especially mild depression.
In a report, the MPs said the pharmaceutical industry was acting as a "disease-monger", classing as many people as possible as "abnormal" and therefore in need of drugs.
"This process has led to an unhealthy over-reliance on, and over-use of, medicines. It also diverts resources and priorities from more significant diseases and health problems," the committee said.
A great deal of this was because patients complaining of mild depression were increasingly being prescribed anti-depressants, rather than being made aware that "unhappiness is part of the spectrum of human experience, not a medical condition".
The MPs said: "Inappropriate prescription of medicines by GPs is of particular concern." Some doctors had prescribed anti-depressants on a grand scale, many of them linked with high rates of suicide.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1808152006
In a report, the MPs said the pharmaceutical industry was acting as a "disease-monger", classing as many people as possible as "abnormal" and therefore in need of drugs.
"This process has led to an unhealthy over-reliance on, and over-use of, medicines. It also diverts resources and priorities from more significant diseases and health problems," the committee said.
A great deal of this was because patients complaining of mild depression were increasingly being prescribed anti-depressants, rather than being made aware that "unhappiness is part of the spectrum of human experience, not a medical condition".
The MPs said: "Inappropriate prescription of medicines by GPs is of particular concern." Some doctors had prescribed anti-depressants on a grand scale, many of them linked with high rates of suicide.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1808152006
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Say YES!!!! Stop HIDING
This is for all you people who always wonder whether to go for things in your life that you are unsure o the outcome. You CAN say Yes and you CAN take the leap, all you need to do is have some faith in yourself and take a chance. That chance may be scary, it may be un real, it may be something that you dont think you can control but you WILL be in control, and you will be able to have faith in yourself. Forget about the things that have happened in your life that have made you shyaway from having the confidance in yourself to do something different.You might have said No in the past but take a look out of the box, see what your missing and take that chance and say YES!!!!!!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
BACK
Hey Everyone this is just a quick one to say that I am back and that I will now put some up dated stuff on here. France was good and I will be back in action very soon...
Hope your all doing well and that you are keeping the tough times in control and not loosing yourelf.
Love Ales
Hope your all doing well and that you are keeping the tough times in control and not loosing yourelf.
Love Ales
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Natalie!
Prayer...Just for you hunny...to let you know I care....Please READ IT!
Dear Lord, I pray that you will shine down on Natalie, that you will keep her safe and that you will guide her through the road she is on and show her that she has purpose on this earth and her plan is there...I pray that she can trust in you lord to take her pain away and that she looks to you for support and guidence, that she finds strength in your light...I pray God that you will keep her safe and away from satan, that you will allow her to follow you and not the twisted road that satan wants to take her, I pray that Jesus you will be walking with her where ever she goes and that you will keep her safe, Holy spirit please warm her heart and show her from the inside that life is for living and that there alot of things that she has yet done, that will bring her joy and peace...
God I pray that you can lift her spirit and that Natalie will not feel the need to commit suicide and that she can bring herself to talk to someone outside of the internet, Lord I know that this may be hard for her but i believe that you can bring peace and the love she needs to her that will make her understand that she needs to get help and that we are all there for her while she is suffering but please give her strength to speak to someone, to get the help that she needs to make the road to recovery.
Lord I also pray that you can provide strength to Natalie as she battles with her self harm and that you can show her that it is not what she needs to do...Lord I pray that Natalie finds peace and the support she needs...I pray that she can find the ability in her to talk to college and not to worry about her parents...Lord I know you wish to have everyone under your guide and I pray that Natalie will not follow satan and choose to get help.
Thank you lord
Amen
Monday, March 20, 2006
Going to France
Well the time has come for me to give a weeks warning...As this time next week I will be in france sleeping in a tent, freezing my but off...and away from my family...and in need of some serious rest...however im not going there for a holiday, I am going to go there to work for the next 7 months and it is a long time I know but i hope to get to my emails alot and to maybe keep up to date here too.....
Ok well if you can read this map....I am sending the first three months in Paris and then the next four months in Nante...........
This next picture is of a girl doing kids club in our sexy uniform....
This is my tent...massive....it is slightly different for me as we get three bedrooms not two....cause we dont need the living space as we get a whole empty tent for that.
Ok well if you can read this map....I am sending the first three months in Paris and then the next four months in Nante...........
This next picture is of a girl doing kids club in our sexy uniform....
This is my tent...massive....it is slightly different for me as we get three bedrooms not two....cause we dont need the living space as we get a whole empty tent for that.
It should be seven months of fun and I cant wait but at the same time I still worry about my health....
Keep in touch email me....leave posts I will try and get in touch with you all....
Love Me xx
Thursday, March 16, 2006
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