Oct 11, 2020 02:03 AM
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic...essed.html
INTRO: It is an idea as concerning as it is intriguing – prescribing a course of antidepressants to perfectly happy people. The medication, already taken by seven million Britons, could, it is suggested, be an effective tool for warding off the ever-increasing tide of mental illness if taken before there’s even a hint of symptoms.
It might seem a ludicrous theory, at a time when antidepressants are believed to already be over-prescribed – but it comes from one of the UK’s leading psychiatrists.
Based on the results of analysis of 28 studies, Dr Saeed Farooq, professor of psychiatry at Keele University, likened the treatment to using aspirin to prevent heart attacks. His report, published in the Journal Of Affective Disorders, found that prescribing the pills to high-risk patients, such as those recovering from severe illnesses, significantly reduced the chances of developing depression – by more than 70 per cent in some cases, the researchers suggest.
The results come as Britain’s top psychiatrists warn of a looming mental-health crisis that awaits us post-Covid. Soaring demand for mental-health support has resulted in a quarter of patients now waiting at least three months for an appointment, according to figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists released last week... (MORE)
INTRO: It is an idea as concerning as it is intriguing – prescribing a course of antidepressants to perfectly happy people. The medication, already taken by seven million Britons, could, it is suggested, be an effective tool for warding off the ever-increasing tide of mental illness if taken before there’s even a hint of symptoms.
It might seem a ludicrous theory, at a time when antidepressants are believed to already be over-prescribed – but it comes from one of the UK’s leading psychiatrists.
Based on the results of analysis of 28 studies, Dr Saeed Farooq, professor of psychiatry at Keele University, likened the treatment to using aspirin to prevent heart attacks. His report, published in the Journal Of Affective Disorders, found that prescribing the pills to high-risk patients, such as those recovering from severe illnesses, significantly reduced the chances of developing depression – by more than 70 per cent in some cases, the researchers suggest.
The results come as Britain’s top psychiatrists warn of a looming mental-health crisis that awaits us post-Covid. Soaring demand for mental-health support has resulted in a quarter of patients now waiting at least three months for an appointment, according to figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists released last week... (MORE)
