Published: 01:01 BST, 2 August 2026 | Updated: 17:11 BST, 6 August 2026<\/p>\n
Almost nine million people in England \u2013 roughly one in six of the population \u2013 were prescribed an antidepressant last year.<\/p>\n
The pills have long been hailed as life-changing treatments for depression and anxiety, helping to relieve symptoms by boosting the \u2018feel good\u2019 brain chemical serotonin.<\/p>\n
But what was once more commonly a treatment measured in months is increasingly stretching far beyond that.<\/p>\n
Around half of those prescribed antidepressants have been taking them for more than two years, official figures show, while one quarter \u2013 equivalent to around two million people \u2013 have used them for more than five years.<\/p>\n
Many argue that is a good thing. Severe depression, which affects about one in 20 adults, is a serious illness, and some research has found long-term antidepressant use is a vital tool in reducing the risk of relapse and suicide.<\/p>\n
The drugs can also be used to treat sleep problems, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain.<\/p>\n
But the challenge for patients \u2013 and for the doctors handing out the medication \u2013 is a stark fact: little is known about the effects of staying on such drugs for years.<\/p>\n
Some experts are now warning the benefits of extended antidepressant use are being overstated. And \u2013 more significantly \u2013 they point to studies that suggest they may be linked to serious side effects.<\/p>\n
Almost nine million people in England \u2013 roughly one in six of the population \u2013 were prescribed an antidepressant last year<\/p>\n
Those effects are wide-ranging, and include heart problems \u2013 including sudden cardiac death \u2013 weight gain, weakened bones and fractures, sexual dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, and even dementia and cognitive decline. A direct link between these conditions and antidepressants has not been definitively proven. But, increasingly, experts believe that the emerging evidence is enough to recommend that patients should not take the pills for any longer than is strictly necessary \u2013 and certainly not indefinitely.<\/p>\n
One of them is Professor Joanna Moncrieff, a psychiatrist at University College London and a vocal critic of psychiatric medication. She has recently been involved in a study which reviewed the research on the side effects associated with the long-term use of antidepressants.<\/p>\n
That study, which is yet to be published, focused on people taking the pills for more than a year and found a link to type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and falls and fractures in older people.<\/p>\n
\u2018We certainly can\u2019t say that long-term antidepressants are safe or harmless,\u2019 Prof Moncrieff says, \u2018because we have not done enough research to know that. The main finding of our review is that the evidence for effects of long-term antidepressant treatment is very poor.<\/p>\n
\u2018There are few studies and they are mostly low quality. We haven\u2019t investigated this issue properly, and that should be a cause for concern, especially since there are so many long-term users.<\/p>\n