A general view of tablets and capsules (Fiona Hanson/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)As the number of people prescribed antidepressants continues to rise, a review of the drugs has led to brand new guidance for the doctors who prescribe them.
University College London and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust have worked together on the review, looking into the role of antidepressants and how to help patients stop using them.
They have recommended that doctors should prescribe fewer antidepressants and for shorter periods of time, and also argued that long-term use for many is probably inappropriate.
It follows new guidance from health watchdog NICE which recommends patients should be taken off the drugs over months and years, to avoid extreme withdrawal symptoms.
We spoke to Mark Horowitz, a clinical research fellow in psychiatry from University College London.
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