Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many NHS prescriptions for anti-depressants were written in (1) 2010, and (2) 2015; and what was their estimated cost.

Information from the Prescription Cost Analysis system regarding the number of antidepressant prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England, for the years 2010 and 2015 is shown in the following table.

Total number and Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) of antidepressant prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England in 2010 and 2015 for British National Formulary Section 4.3 antidepressants.

Source: Prescription Cost Analysis.