East Lindsey is '˜third highest' district for antidepressant prescriptions

In the new research released by database company EXASOL today (Wednesday), East Lindsey was listed in third place behind Blackpool and Sunderland at 1.99 prescriptions per head of population in 2016.

By contrast, the second highest district within the East Midlands region was South Holland, with 1.80 prescriptions per head. At the other end of the scale, South Derbyshire had just 0.89 prescriptions per head.

Sean Jackson, chief marketing officer at EXASOL said: “When analysing the data, we can see that the prescribing of anti-depressants has increased by a large amount in recent years. However, this is only one part of the story: when we delve deeper, we find that the data can uncover further information such as geographic differences across the country.

“With the right data and the right technology, you can turn any problem into a data problem. People suffering from mental health problems need support and respect, these insights can direct help to the right places and it highlights where more resources are necessary.

“We hope the findings will help to raise awareness of this important issue.”

The research also found that the number of antidepressant prescriptions has risen by more than nine times in the past 25 years.

In 1991, English pharmacies handed over nine million prescriptions, rising to 24.3 million (2001), 46 million (2011), and now 64 million prescriptions (2016).

The research also found a large regional variation across the country, with a clear link to deprivation in the North and East of England.