The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has released its annual Medicines Used in Mental Health summary statistics.

The data in the publication shows trends and patterns in prescribing and dispensing, with the annual summary covering the period between April 2015 and March 2024.

Five British National Formulary (BNF) sections are analysed in the report including antidepressants, hypnotics and anxiolytics, antipsychotics, central nervous system (CNS) stimulants and drugs for ADHD, and drugs for dementia.

The findings this year suggested four out of five BNF sections covered in the statistics had increases in both items and identified patients. This was the same as for last year.

They also found that an estimated 89 million antidepressant drug items were prescribed, an increase of 3.3 per cent.

The antidepressants section also had the largest number of patients, an increase of 2.1 per cent to 8.7 million.

Additionally, 2.9 million CNS stimulants and ADHD drug items were prescribed to 280,000 identified patients. Since 2022 to 2023, prescribing of CNS stimulants and drugs for ADHD increased for both adults and children. Prescribing for adults rose by 28 per cent to 150,000 patients, while prescribing for children rose 9.9 per cent to 120,000 patients.

Dementia drug items increased by 5.8 per cent to 4.5 million and the number of patients prescribed dementia medicines increased by 5.6 per cent to 310,000. This is the only BNF section where prescribing was higher in the least deprived areas.

As well as this, 14 million antipsychotic items were prescribed to 860,000 identified patients. Twice as many identified patients were prescribed antipsychotics in in the most deprived areas versus the least deprived.

The data covers medicines prescribed in England that are then dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The data excludes medicines used in hospitals, prisons or prescribed by private doctors.