A lack of psychological and social therapies for people with mental health difficulties is partly to blame for high prescribing rates for antidepressants. That’s according to doctors addressing the Oireachtas joint health committee on foot of recent media reports on overuse of prescription drugs.

Counselling services for people with mental health problems can have waiting lists of up to six months. If you don’t want to be a slave to medication, Kay Cairns looks at your limited options.

Almost 2.3 million prescriptions were written for anxiety and depression drugs in 2012, enough to cover more than half the population.