A leading mental health charity has called for more support for people on antidepressants.
Research conducted by Mind found that a significant proportion of the people prescribed medication don’t get sufficient information about the possible side effects.
A survey of over 1,000 people who take anti-depressants found that almost two thirds found that the prescription had impacted on a key part of their life, be it their work, relationships or independence.
A little under half of respondents felt they had been given insufficient details when they were first prescribed the drugs.
Michelle Lloyd first started experiencing mental health problems while at university and became very down, shutting herself away from people.
She went to see her GP who prescribed an antidepressant, fluoxetine, but Michelle’s symptoms got worse and she started self-harming, which she had never done before.
“I was prescribed antidepressants quickly and with very little extra information about side effects,” said the 32-year-old. “It was a horrible time; I self-harmed and felt very nauseous with headaches and ended up not eating. I didn’t expect to feel so bad and I got very anxious about the effects the tablets would be having on me.
“It’s not something I had been warned about and it’s something that is quite awkward to talk to anyone about, let alone your GP.
“I now take Sertraline, which, combined with counselling seems to be working well for me. But to this day I still haven’t ever had someone explain properly how and why they work. I’ve had to do my own research to understand what was going on and what I was putting into my body, which is something I definitely feel can be improved upon.”
Stephen Buckley, Mind’s Head of Information, said there was a need for a change in tack.
“More people are taking antidepressants than ever before and, while they can be effective in managing depression, the side effects can have a big impact on people’s quality of life.
“Anyone being prescribed antidepressants should be made aware of the possible side effects they might experience so that they can weigh up the potential benefit against any negative impact on their health or other aspects of their lives.”