The latest statistics on medicines used in mental health have been released by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).

The report – which is based on community prescribing and excludes hospitals and prisons – examined five main groups of medicines: hypnotics and anxiolytics (used to treat insomnia and anxiety); antidepressants; drugs for dementia; drugs used in psychoses and related disorders; and central nervous system (CNS) stimulants and drugs used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Key findings established that between April and June 2022 an estimated 21.2 million antidepressant drugs were prescribed, a 1.17 per cent increase from the previous quarter. Additionally, CNS stimulants and drug prescriptions for ADHD have gone up by 6.82 per cent this quarter compared to last, with 604,000 and 566,000 respectively.

See the full report.