With shortfalls in mental health support and figures also show link between areas with concentration of antidepressant drugs and deprivation
SOME of the most deprived areas in Scotland also have the highest level of antidepressant usage, according to this year's new index of deprivation released by the Scottish Government.
According to the index, four Glasgow areas share the top three spots for depression mediation in Scotland with Possil Park being the highest at 42 per cent followed by Greenock Town Centre with 38 per cent and Cowlairs and Port Dundas joint third with 35 per cent.
The news comes following a report by The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) on Monday that the shortfall in the number of mental health officers working in Scotland’s councils reached its highest level last year.
"Indeed, these figures are likely to significantly under report the scale of mental health problems as many people with drug problems began their drug use as a way of coping with underlying mental health problems." David Liddell
Speaking to CommonSpace, David Liddell, CEO at Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF), said: "These figures come as no surprise. There is a significant overlap of this population and people with a drug problem, particular depressant drugs such as heroin.
"This population is also concentrated in our most deprived communities. Indeed these figures are likely to significantly under report the scale of mental health problems as many people with drug problems began their drug use as a way of coping with underlying mental health problems including experiences of trauma and may well not be receiving a mental health service."
The total cost of antidepressants to NHS Scotland by 2015 ran to £40.8m.
Earlier this year official figures released by NHS Scotland indicated an association between deprivation and the use of antidepressants with the number of people in Scotland treated with antidepressants rising by five per cent from 2014 to 2015.
They recorded 225,969 patients in the poorest parts of Scotland recieve the drugs, compared with 110,507 in the least deprived areas.
Overall, the drugs were given to 814,181 Scottish patients in 2014 to 2015 meaning the use of antidepressants increased by 28.5 per cent from 2010.
According to Scottish Government figures for these years, almost two thirds of the patients given the drugs were women, with usage peaking in the 50-54 age range.
Moreover, the total cost of antidepressants to NHS Scotland by 2015 ran to £40.8m, but this was a marked fall by a third over the past decade, because of the use of lower-cost drugs.
They recorded 225,969 patients in the poorest parts of Scotland recieve the drugs, compared with 110,507 in the least deprived areas.
Relating to non palliative care, the SSSC released a report showing that in 2015, 21 of Scotland’s local authorities reported a shortfall in their mental health officers (MHO) staff.
They suggested it would take 40 additional full time exclusively trained MHOs to fill the shortfalls, which are at their highest level during the period covered by this report from 2012 to 2015.
The report found that the number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) mental health officers increased by two per cent to 670 in December 2015, but the overall shortfall is the highest since data was first collected in 2008.
The proportion of practising social workers who are trained mental health officers in Glasgow is only 9.2 per cent.
The number of WTE officers had previously fallen from 698 in 2012 to 657 in 2014, before recovering slightly in 2015 to 670.
The proportion of practising social workers who are trained mental health officers in Glasgow is only 9.2 per cent, which is among the lowest proportions in the country.
This amounts to 72 out of 782 social workers noted by the SSSC who are specifically trained in the area of mental health, meaning that Glasgow collectively has one of the highest shortfalls.
The place with the lowest use of antidepressants in Scotland is Garelochhead in Argyll and Bute with only two per cent using anti-depressants.
Picture courtesy of Steve Snodgrass
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