Everybody happy?

[Paul Mobbs]

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Any dopes for a dose of dope?

Wouldn't it be more socially useful to legalise ganja instead? -- less crime, 
more local economic development and resilience 'n' all that, not just the cost 
savings for the pills. 

I wonder if this affected the results of the Government's recent "wellbeing" 
survey -- lots of legally stones people telling the researchers how nice they 
felt! :-c

P.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/30/antidepressant-use-england-soars

Antidepressant use in England soars

• Prescriptions rise by more than a quarter in three years
• Depression costing economy nearly £11bn a year
• Financial uncertainty thought to be factor

David Batty, The Guardian, Friday 30th December 2011 


The use of antidepressants has risen by more than a quarter in England in just 
three years, amid fears that more people are suffering from depression due to the 
economic crisis.

The number of prescriptions for antidepressants increased by 28% from 34m in 
2007-08 to 43.4m in 2010-11, according to the NHS information centre.

Depression is also costing the economy nearly £11bn a year in lost earnings, NHS 
care and drug prescriptions.

Research by the House of Commons found the cost to the NHS of treating the 
illness is more than £520m a year.

People who are unable to work due to depression lose £8.97bn of potential 
earnings a year, while the loss of earnings from suicide is put at £1.47bn.

Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat MP who commissioned the research, told the 
Independent: "Failure to tackle depression hurts us all. It makes a misery of 
the lives of sufferers, costs the NHS in time and medication, and hampers 
business by forcing some people out of work."

Prescriptions for anti-anxiety drugs rose from just over 6m to 6.5m in the same 
period, an 8% jump, while prescriptions for sleeping pills rose 3% from around 
9.9m to 10.2m.

The research found the north-west had the highest antidepressant use in 2010-11, 
with 7.2m prescriptions dispensed.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of the mental health charity Mind, said the tough 
economic times may have contributed to more people experiencing depression, but 
improved public awareness may also mean more people are seeking help.

"It's important to remember that antidepressants can be a lifeline for some 
people which enable them to manage their mental health problems," he said.

Emer O'Neill, chief executive of Depression Alliance, said: "These uncertain 
economic times are linked to an increase in the number of people with the 
illness."


- -- 

.

"We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government,
nor are we for this party nor against the other but we are
for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom,
that these may be exalted in our nation, and that goodness,
righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace and unity with
God, and with one another, that these things may abound."
(Edward Burrough, 1659 - from 'Quaker Faith and Practice')

Paul's book, "Energy Beyond Oil", is out now!
For details see http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ebo/

Read my 'essay' weblog, "Ecolonomics", at:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ecolonomics/

Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations
3 Grosvenor Road, Banbury OX16 5HN, England
tel./fax (+44/0)1295 261864
email - mobbsey at gn.apc.org
website - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/index.shtml
public key - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/mobbsey-2011.asc

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