October 29, 2009The Big Question: Is depression increasing, and what is the best way to treat it?By Jeremy Laurance, Health EditorWhy are we asking this now?The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) yesterday published updated guidelines on the treatment of depression calling for extra focus on talking therapy, especially cognitive behaviour therapy, for depression and less focus on drugs. It also warned GPs to be more alert to depression in people with chronic health problems, amongst whom the condition is three times more common than in the general population.Have anti-depressant prescriptions increased?Yes, spectacularly. Prescriptions have more than doubled since the mid-1990s to over 36 million a year, leading to allegations that Britain has become a pill popping nation, addicted...
