NEW figures have revealed where the highest numbers of anti-depressants are prescribed to people in Essex. 

Doctors in Tendring prescribe the most anti-depressants in the whole of the East of England, with 1.8 prescriptions given out per person in 2016. 

The district had the highest proportion of prescriptions for the size of its 141,200 population last year. 

Maldon also made the top ten with 1.6 prescriptions per person in 2016, despite having the lowest population of all districts in the east of England (62,700).

Braintree and Colchester are at 15th and 16th places respectively out of the list of 47 districts.

The data, collected by Exasol, shows a large regional variation across the country and the company says it shows "a clear link to deprivation in the north and east of England."

The highest prescribing district in the country is Blackpool, the only district in England where more than two prescriptions per person per year were given out by GPs.

The data captures every GP prescription dispensed at all pharmacies across England in the past six years. 

According to Exasol, in 1991, English pharmacies handed over nine million prescriptions for anti-depressants, in 2001 it was 24.3 million, in 2011 it was 46 million and now we have reached 64 million prescriptions.

Sean Jackson, chief marketing officer at EXASOL says: “When analysing the data, we can see that the prescribing of anti-depressants has increased by a large amount in recent years. However, this is only one part of the story: when we delve deeper, we find that the data can uncover further information such as geographic differences across the country.

"With the right data and the right technology, you can turn any problem into a data problem. People suffering from mental health problems need support and respect, these insights can direct help to the right places and it highlights where more resources are necessary.

"By uncovering insights using big data, it shows the factual reality of the problem. However, to be able to analyse such enormous data-sets requires the right tool for the job. We hope the findings will help to raise awareness of this important issue."

The company has issued a 'heat map' which shows the highest-prescribing areas in red:

Halstead Gazette:

Here's the full list of areas in the east of England, with the highest prescribers at the top: 

  1. Tendring
  2. North Norfolk
  3. Great Yarmouth
  4. Fenland
  5. King's Lynn and West Norfolk
  6. Breckland
  7. Broadland
  8. Maldon
  9. Waveney
  10. Babergh
  11. Norwich
  12. Mid Suffolk
  13. St Edmundsbury
  14. South Norfolk
  15. Braintree
  16. Colchester
  17. Huntingdonshire
  18. Stevenage
  19. East Cambridgeshire
  20. Suffolk Coastal
  21. Harlow
  22. Ipswich
  23. North Hertfordshire
  24. Peterborough
  25. Basildon
  26. Uttlesford
  27. Forest Heath
  28. Broxbourne
  29. South Cambridgeshire
  30. Southend-on-Sea
  31. Castle Point
  32. Chelmsford
  33. Rochford
  34. Central Bedfordshire
  35. East Hertfordshire
  36. Thurrock
  37. Bedford
  38. Epping Forest
  39. Welwyn Hatfield
  40. Cambridge
  41. Dacorum
  42. Watford
  43. Three Rivers
  44. Hertsmere
  45. Brentwood
  46. Luton
  47. St Albans