Baroness Merron, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4856):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government how many anti-depressant prescriptions have been prescribed to patients (1) under the age of 18, and (2) under the age of 25, in each year since 2015. (HL4856)
Tabled on: 10 February 2025
Answer:
Baroness Merron:
The NHS Business Services Authority publishes statistics for anti-depressants prescribed in England that are then dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands. The following table shows the total number of items for antidepressants, British National Formulary section 0403, dispensed to patients aged under 18 years old and patients aged under 25 years old, which includes the items for under 18 year-olds, for the financial years 2015/16 to 2023/24, and a year-to-date figure for 2024/25:
| Financial year | Aged under 18 years old | Aged under 25 years old |
| 2015/16 | 312,113 | 2,477,798 |
| 2016/17 | 332,706 | 2,759,953 |
| 2017/18 | 346,126 | 2,910,607 |
| 2018/19 | 367,850 | 3,202,784 |
| 2019/20 | 393,762 | 3,525,602 |
| 2020/21 | 406,391 | 3,890,347 |
| 2021/22 | 437,365 | 4,170,154 |
| 2022/23 | 448,515 | 4,119,463 |
| 2023/24 | 435,992 | 4,033,211 |
| April to September 2024 | 176,082 | 1,911,788 |
| Total | 3,656,902 | 33,001,707 |
Date and time of answer: 24 Feb 2025 at 12:03.
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Baroness Merron, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4857):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what percentage of all people in England between the ages of 18 and 24 were prescribed anti-depressants in each year since 2015. (HL4857)
Tabled on: 10 February 2025
Answer:
Baroness Merron:
The NHS Business Services Authority publishes statistics for anti-depressants prescribed in England that are then dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands. The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates of population. Data for 18 to 24 year-olds specifically is not published, but data for 15 to 24 year-olds is available. The following table shows the total number of male and female patients aged 15 to 24 years-old prescribed antidepressants, British National Formulary section 0403, and that number as a percentage of the estimated mid-year population, in the first financial quarter of each year from 2015 to 2023:
| Mid-year population year | Financial quarter | Identified patients | Mid-year population estimate | Percentage |
| 2015 | 2015/16 Q1 | 240,392 | 6,838,939 | 3.5% |
| 2016 | 2016/17 Q1 | 277,747 | 6,789,198 | 4.1% |
| 2017 | 2017/18 Q1 | 288,848 | 6,705,571 | 4.3% |
| 2018 | 2018/19 Q1 | 306,444 | 6,667,086 | 4.6% |
| 2019 | 2019/20 Q1 | 332,886 | 6,649,338 | 5.0% |
| 2020 | 2020/21 Q1 | 332,336 | 6,607,988 | 5.0% |
| 2021 | 2021/22 Q1 | 383,737 | 6,638,826 | 5.8% |
| 2022 | 2022/23 Q1 | 382,009 | 6,746,650 | 5.7% |
| 2023 | 2023/24 Q1 | 369,270 | 6,861,435 | 5.4% |
Date and time of answer: 24 Feb 2025 at 12:02.
