News | Mental health

In figures: the science of stress

For many, living through the COVID-19 pandemic will have been the most stressful time in their lives. For some, this stress will have taken a more serious toll, not only on their emotional wellbeing but on their physical health too.…

Risk of medication errors with zuclopenthixol

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author’s. If you would like to submit a letter to The Pharmaceutical Journal, please click here. We alert readers to the ongoing risk of errors when prescribing and dispensing zuclopenthixol for injection. The two formulations av…

Funding for health and social care workforce wellbeing increases to £8m for 2021/2022

The money will be used to support health and social care staff in Scotland, including the development of a national wellbeing hub and helpline, and psychological therapies and interventions.…

Pharmacy-led interventions successful in deprescribing of high-risk medication, review suggests

Looking at 24 studies involving more than 4,000 adults, researchers found that all types of pharmacy-led interventions resulted in a greater discontinuation of medicines, compared with usual care.…

Peaks in number of young people prescribed antidepressants coincide with lockdowns

Exclusive: The increase in antidepressant prescribing in England accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with peaks occurring during lockdowns.…

Psilocybin therapy appears as effective as escitalopram, small study finds

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights the potential of psilocybin for treating depression.…

Government promises £14m in 2021/2022 for frontline services to tackle high drug death rate

In a debate with Scottish ministers, drugs policy minister Angela Constance reiterated the importance of getting people immediate treatment and support that will prevent fatal overdose.…

Cost of sertraline has increased by more than 500% since 2019, figures show

Despite the number of items of sertraline dispensed increasing by 12% in 2020/2021, the cost increased by £142m, NHS data show.…

NHS spending on antidepressants rose by £139m during pandemic, study finds

Using prescribing data from 2019 and 2020, researchers found that the cost of antidepressants surged to £35m in April 2020 — more than double than the same month in 2019.…

Pharmacy teams ‘pivotal’ in improving outcomes in patients with depression or pain, study concludes

A systematic review of 13 studies across different countries found that community pharmacy-based interventions improved medication adherence, self-efficacy and general management of disease.…