In the third quarter of last year, 22 million antidepressants were prescribed to an estimated 6.8 million patients. Sadly, mental health problems are not limited to adults – 1.5 million children will need additional mental-health support following the pandemic, according to a report from the Centre for Mental Health. The NHS is struggling to cope with the increased demand – the size of the workforce dealing with mental health has risen by 22%, but that has been outpaced by referrals, up 44% since the pandemic. Around one in six adults in England have a common mental-health disorder, and roughly half of mental-health problems start by the age of 14. Last year the government spent £12bn, or 9% of the total NHS budget, on mental-health services.
Job insecurity, long working hours and high levels of personal debt have