Cast your vote on the biggest talking points of the day, every dayFinal results will be announced in tomorrow's poll See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy DAILY MAIL REPORTER Published: 12:00 BST, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 12:05 BST, 25 August 2026
One in seven people in England were prescribed antidepressants last year, amid a sharp rise in mental health problems such as depression and anxiety since the pandemic.A record 9.1million patients were given the drugs by their doctor in the last 12 months, an increase of more than 15 per cent in five years.There is a stark regional divide with antidepressant use highest in North Cumbria and South Yorkshire, and almost double the rates seen in affluent parts of London.Dr John Read, professor of clinical psychology at the University of East London, said the figures revealed an ‘epidemic of overprescribing’. He added that doctors were increasingly being expected to treat wider social and life problems with medication.But what do you think – are antidepressants being overprescribed? Vote in the Daily Mail’s latest poll here:
In yesterday's poll, Mail readers were asked: 'Is the Government doing enough to protect children online?' Out of more than 3,000 votes, 92 per cent of you said 'no' and 8 per cent said 'yes'.
