One of Britain’s greatest resorts is also our depression capital.
Blackpool, with its tower, lights and Golden Mile, has been one the UK’s favourite holiday spots for decades.
Yet about 20% of its residents are prescribed painkillers or antidepressants – drugs linked to mental health problems – according to NHS figures.
Some 35,000 patients, mostly in their 70s, needed painkillers and 34,000, mostly in their 50s, antidepressants.
Thousands regularly take both.
A report found the Lancashire town was one of England’s most deprived areas and one of the worst for violent crime, self-harming, suicides, alcohol abuse and cancer deaths.
Blackpool GP Neil Hartley-Smith, said: “There are well-established links between deprivation and depression, anxiety and other mental health problems.
“Life expectancy for men is the lowest in the country and our area suffers from high levels of unemployment.”
In total last year, GPs wrote 60 million prescriptions for painkillers and 79 million for antidepressants.
Here's the per cent of people on antidepressants (left) and painkillers (right) in 7 cities:
- 1. Blackpool - Antidepressants 19.3%, Painkillers 20.2%
- 2. Sunderland - Antidepressants 18.7%, Painkillers 17.4%
- 3. County Durham - Antidepressants 18.5%, 17.8%
- 4. St Helens- Antidepressants 18.4%, Painkillers 18.6%
- 4. Barnsley- Antidepressants 18.4%, Painkillers 18.2%
- 6. South Tyneside - Antidepressants 17.9%, Painkillers 16.9%
- 7. Knowsley- Antidepressants 17.6%, Painkillers 18.7%
