From Polly Mortimer
Is depression really undertreated (7 June, p 6)? Adult prescriptions for antidepressants in the US tripled between 1994 and 2005, to 118 million a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As some antidepressants have been revealed as no more effective than a placebo – but with side effects – who is gaining from this frenzy of diagnosis?
The editor writes:
• There is concern about overtreatment of those who are mildly depressed and solvent, and undertreatment of those who are seriously depressed and/or poor.
London, UK
