Brexit is officially depressing. A study has found that antidepressant prescriptions rose after the referendum vote in June 2016.
Researchers from King’s College London said that this increase could be linked to increased uncertainty and that mental health service provision may need to be strengthened during such periods.
The researchers compared monthly prescriptions for antidepressants each July between 2011 and 2016 with other classes of medication less likely to be immediately affected by changes in mood, including those for iron deficiency anaemia, gout, thyroid problems and diabetes.
Even before the referendum, levels of prescribing for antidepressants, and for the other drugs, rose year on year.
In July 2016, the month after the vote, prescriptions for the other drugs fell, while those for antidepressants continued to