The trouble with anti depressants

Do we rely too much on pills? Tell us what you think

Health regulators are expected to tell doctors later today to limit the use of anti-depressants.

They're expected to advise doctors to think twice before prescribing drugs such as Seroxat and Prozac - so called SSRIs - which are taken by hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

It's thought that the government's watchdog, The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, will advise that the drugs shouldn't be given to people with mild to moderate depression.

They may be advised instead to try therapy - or even exercise.

This morning, Breakfast asks whether we're over-prescribing anti-depressants.

We talked to Professor Robert Kerwin, of the Institute of Psychiatry.

"It's fair to say there's a degree of over-prescribing at GP level," he told us.

"Patients who need anti-depressants should be under specialist supervision."

Prof Kerwin expects today's guidance to be technical - and aimed at doctors rather than patients.

He stressed that no-one should stop taking their prescribed medicines, without talking to a doctor first

We got the family doctors' point of view, from Mayur Lakhani, chairman of the Royal College of GPs.

And, for the patients' perspective, we heard from Marjorie Wallace, of the campaign group Sane.

We heard from Dr Andrew McCulloch, the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation.

Around 13 million prescriptions are written each year for so-called SSRI anti-depressants.

They have become popular in the past decade because they're generally considered safer than the older tricyclic drugs, which could easily be fatal if taken as an overdose.

What you told Breakfast My friend takes anti-depressants and wanted cognitive therapy counselling. He had to wait for four years to receive it. These sorts of services are not that readily available. Tim, Leeds Read more viewers' comments on our Your Say page

However, last year, the government banned the use of SSRI's for under-18s, after concerns that they were linked to a number of teenage suicides.

Now, it seems, that health watchdogs will call for counselling, rather than medication, for those with mild to moderate depression.

If you are concerned about any medication you have been prescribed, don't stop taking it unless you have consulted a doctor.