Antidepressants ‘rob people of ability to cope’

THE over-prescription of antidepressants, which is twice the level it should be, was robbing people of their natural ability to cope with trauma, one of the country’s leading psychiatrists said last night.

Normal coping mechanisms in the event of stressful and traumatic events were being eroded by excessive use of medication, said Prof Patricia Casey, of the Department of Psychiatry at the Mater Hospital and UCD.

In many cases of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, innate coping skills were very often sufficient to enable people to recover, she said.