The Minster Practice, Lichfield

Mental Health

Updated 31/07/2006

The Samaritans

Contact details for The Samaritans 0845 90 90 90 or via text messaging 07725 90 90 90 (reply sent within 10 minutes)

Do you think you are depressed?

Complete this questionnaire and discuss your answers with us:
http://www.depression-primarycare.org/images/pdf/phq_9_quest.pdf

Mental Health of Children and Adolescents

The first survey of the mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain was carried out in 1999 by the Office for National Statistics.

	10% of 5-15 year olds have a clinically significant childhood mental disorder
	The proportion of children with a mental disorder is greater among boys than girls and in those from families without a working parent
	Almost 50% of children with a mental disorder had seen their GP in the previous 12 months but 30% had no contact with either GP or specialist services
	The proportion of children with special educational needs is 3 times higher in those with a mental disorder

Antidepressants and adolescent suicides

Increased use of antidepressants in the US has been linked to a fall in adolescent suicide rates. In 588 US postal areas, every 1% increase in antidepressant prescriptions was accompanied by a drop of 0.23 suicides per 100,000 adolescents per year. (Archives of General Psychiatry 2003;60:978-982)

'Giving out fewer antidepressants may save the NHS money but at a cost to patients'

Source: Independent Review Date: 05/11/2003
Lewis Wolpert, professor of biology at University College London and regular sufferer of depression, argues in favour of antidepressants. He comments on the recent one-sided TV coverage of the antidepressant Seroxat, saying that the Panorama programme about the bad effects of the drug did not mention any of the positive effects of antidepressants, or how devastating depression can be if left untreated. He adds that evidence for dependence on Seroxat is largely anecdotal, and that personal stories have no scientific validity. He objects to the way such pills are labelled 'happy pills', a term he says adds to the stigma of having depression.

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