Sometime during the first year of the pandemic, the lockdowns had eased in Newcastle, and I was having drinks with some girlfriends. The topic of antidepressants came up, and I realised that I was the only one among them who wasn't on some kind of drug.
Mildly disturbed, I began researching the topic and found several articles highlighting mental health problems spiking during the pandemic, and with them, the rise of antidepressants. Concerns about overprescriptions, antidepressant addictions and their side effects are growing as well. Of surveyed OECD countries, Australia is ranked in the top five countries for antidepressants consumption. It's right up there with Iceland, Portugal, Canada and Sweden.
