Capitalism's mental health

One in three women has taken anti-depressants during their lifetime while nearly half of those currently prescribed the medication have done so for at least five years, with a quarter doing so for a decade, according to a survey.

Platform 51, formerly the YWCA, claimed that the use of drugs such as Prozac and Cipramil had reached "crisis" proportions, and accused GPs of flouting National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidelines when it came to routinely represcribing the drugs. It urged greater use of psychological therapies – so-called "talking cures" – such as cognitive behavioural therapy or counselling.

"Women and girls in our centres have talked about feeling quite numb and not being in control of their lives when they are on antidepressants. They don't want to take them for a long time and would prefer GPs and health workers to discuss with them why they are down in the first place. The can feel that no one is interested in their back story," Platform 51's director of policy, Rebecca Gill explained.

The number of people admitted to psychiatric hospitals against their will has increased by more than 60 per cent in the past two decades, a rise closely linked to the overall reduction in hospital beds. The rise in people sectioned under the Mental Health Act across England started as soon as the mass closure of psychiatric units got under way in the early 1980s, continuing despite the widespread introduction of community mental health teams in the last 10 years.

For every two psychiatric beds closed, there was one extra involuntary admission the next year. A total of 27,500 adults were detained in an English NHS hospital under the Mental Health Act in 2008 – a 64 per cent rise since 1988. This increase is mirrored by a decline in NHS psychiatric beds which fell by 62 per cent to 26,500 in the same period.

Lead author Patrick Keown, consultant psychiatrist and honorary senior lecturer from the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University believes some people may be reluctant to return voluntarily to hospital because patient wards had become so busy and "highly charged".

Alison Cobb, of Mind, said: "Some patients find wards so daunting that they don't volunteer for admission earlier on, and end up deteriorating to the point where involuntary admission is necessary."