England April 2016 to June 2021

Published 9 September 2021

Key findings

Between April to June 2021:

  • there were 20.5 million antidepressant drugs prescribed, a 2% increase from 20.2 million items in the previous quarter, and a 7% increase from 19.2 million items for the same quarter in 2020/21

  • drugs for dementia did not show a downward trend for this quarter, a change from the downwards trend in four of the last five quarters, with 997,000 drugs for dementia prescribed, a 2% increase from 982,000 items in the previous quarter, though this is a 4% decrease from 1.04 million items in the same quarter in 2020/21.

In the 16-month period since the implementation of lockdown measures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, between March 2020 and June 2021:

  • there were 1.2 million more antidepressant prescription items issued than expected based on historical trends. However, this was not a statistically significant increase for the period.

  • there were 481,000 fewer drugs for dementia prescription items issued than expected based on historical trends. This was a statistically significant decrease for the period.

1. Introduction

1.1. Scope

Mental health is a key area of the NHS Long Term Plan published in 2019.

This publication aims to describe the prescribing of medicines used to improve mental health in England that are subsequently dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands by a pharmacy, appliance contractor, dispensing doctor, or has been personally administered by a GP practice. They do not include data on medicines used in secondary care, prisons, or issued by a private prescriber.

This quarterly update details the total number of items prescribed and the number of identified patients that have received prescribing for medicines used to improve mental health. This summary also explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prescribing of these medicines by comparing the levels of expected prescribing for the period based on historical trends to actual prescribing volumes.

The costs associated with the provision of these medicines are not discussed in this summary. However, they are available within the supporting summary tables that accompany this release.

These statistics use the BNF therapeutic classifications defined in the British National Formulary (BNF) using the classification system prior to BNF edition 70. Each January the NHSBSA updates the classification of drugs within the BNF hierarchy which may involve some drugs changing classification between years of data. Five sections of the British National Formulary (BNF) are covered within these statistics:

  • hypnotics and anxiolytics
  • drugs used in psychoses and related disorders
  • antidepressant drugs
  • central nervous system (CNS) stimulants and drugs used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • drugs for dementia

These medicines are classified by their primary therapeutic indication. However, it is possible that they can be prescribed for other reasons outside of this primary therapeutic indication. For example, some antidepressants can be used to treat people suffering from chronic primary pain. The clinical indication of a prescription is not captured by NHSBSA during processing, and therefore we cannot determine the reason that a prescription was issued. Drug therapy is just one way that mental health conditions can be treated. These statistics do not give an indication of the number of patients accessing other mental health services, such as psychological therapies. Due to this, these statistics may not give an accurate estimation of the population receiving treatment for a specific mental health condition.

1.2. Definitions

Throughout this publication the term ‘item’, short for ‘prescription item’, means a single instance of a drug that is listed as a separate entry on a prescription form. For example, Fluoxetine 20mg tablets x56.

In this release the term ‘patient/s’ is used to mean a unique, valid NHS number that has been captured from a prescription form and subsequently verified by the NHS Personal Demographics Service (PDS). Across 2020/21, use of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) increased considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. As this process captures NHS numbers digitally rather than through scanned paper forms, this has naturally led to an increase in the proportions of identified patients for both 2020/21 and 2021/22 than seen in previous years.

There are many costs incurred when a dispensing contractor fulfils a prescription, such as the single activity fee or controlled drug fees. The costs reported in this publication represent the basic price of the item and the quantity prescribed. This is sometimes called the ‘Net Ingredient Cost’ (NIC). The basic price is given either in the Drug Tariff or is determined from prices published by manufacturers, wholesalers or suppliers. Basic price is set out in Parts VIII and IX of the Drug Tariff. For any drugs not in Part VIII, the price is usually taken from the manufacturer, wholesaler or supplier of the product.

1.3. Time periods

The first national lockdown introduced as a response to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) was implemented between 23 March and 4 July 2020, with the second national lockdown between 5 November and 2 December 2020. A third national lockdown was implemented on 6 January 2021. The first steps of the roadmap out of lockdown began in March 2021 with restriction being lifted throughout Q1 2021/22. These periods are considered as part of this publication. It is important to note that these statistics cannot infer causality of lockdown measures on the prescribing figures but any inferences made should consider the impact of changing restrictions across the period.

This publication presents data from April 2016 to June 2021, the most recent available.

References to quarters in these statistics are:

  • Q1 refers to the first quarter (April to June) of the given financial year. For example, Q1 2020/21 refers to the period April 2020 to June 2020.
  • Q2 refers to the second quarter (July to September) of the given financial year. For example, Q2 2020/21 refers to the period July 2020 to September 2020.
  • Q3 refers to the third quarter (October to December) of the given financial year. For example, Q3 2020/21 refers to the period October 2020 to December 2020.
  • Q4 refers to the fourth quarter (January to March) of the given financial year. For example, Q4 2020/21 refers to the period January 2021 to March 2021.

You can go to the Medicines Used in Mental Health - England webpage to find the most recent annual summary, background information, and explanatory notes that apply to the statistics presented in this release.

1.4. Patient identification

When the NHSBSA processes prescriptions, the NHS number of the patient is identified for most, but not all, prescriptions. The proportion of items for which a patient could be identified is shown in Table 1. This means that data relating to patient counts represents most, but not all, patients.

These statistics do not contain any personally identifiable data. More details on the statistical disclosure control applied to these statistics is available in section 5 of this summary. More information about how the NHSBSA protects personal information can be found in the statement on confidentiality and access.

Table 1: The proportion of items for which an NHS number was recorded for listed BNF sections 2021/2022

2. Results and commentary

2.1. Antidepressants

Antidepressant drugs are effective for treating moderate to severe depression. Antidepressant drugs are not generally advised for the routine treatment of mild depression, and psychological therapy should be considered initially. However, a trial of antidepressant therapy may be considered in cases resistant to psychological treatments or associated with other problems.

Antidepressant drugs are described in the BNF 68 section 4.3:

  • BNF paragraph 4.3.1 - Tricyclic and related antidepressant drugs
  • BNF paragraph 4.3.2 - Monoamine-oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
  • BNF paragraph 4.3.3 - Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
  • BNF paragraph 4.3.4 - Other antidepressant drugs

More information about these medicines can be found in section 3 of this summary.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Quarterly table

There were 20.5 million antidepressant drug items prescribed in the first quarter of financial year 2021/22. This was a 6.73% increase from 19.2 million items compared with the same quarter a year ago, and a 1.64% increase from 20.2 million items in the previous quarter. Prescribing of antidepressant drugs has been increasing since 2016, with 4.33 million more items prescribed in quarter one of 2021/22 than in quarter one 2016/17, an increase of 26.8% over a period of five years.

There were an estimated 6.32 million identified patients prescribed at least one antidepressant drug item in quarter one of 2021/22. This was a 7.49% increase from 5.88 million identified patients when compared with the same quarter in 2020/21, and a 0.84% increase from 6.27 million identified patients in the previous quarter. The long-term trends for patients receiving antidepressant drugs are similar to the overall prescribing of items. There were 1.18 million more identified patients who received an antidepressant item in quarter one 2021/22 compared to quarter one 2016/17, an increase of 23.1%. However, it should be noted that this is likely to be an overestimate of the actual increase in patient numbers, as the proportion of patients who could be identified also increased. In Q1 2016/17, 96.2% of items were prescribed to identified patients, this increased by 2.8 percentage points in Q1 2021/22 to 99.0% of items.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

The monthly time series for antidepressant drugs show some regular patterns as well as month-to-month variation; most notably there tends to be less prescribing in months with fewer dispensing days, such as February.

As patients can appear in more than one month of data, adding the patient counts for different months together would result in an inaccurate estimate of the number of unique patients that have received prescribing in this period. Therefore, we have calculated the average number of patients for comparison purposes. This average is a mean, calculated by summing the number of patients for the periods in question and dividing by the number of months in the period.

The monthly average number of identified patients receiving at least one antidepressant item in the 12 months July 2020 to June 2021 was 4.36 million. This was an increase of 7.06% from an average of 4.07 million patients when compared with July 2019 to June 2020.

There were 80.7 million antidepressant items prescribed in the 12 months July 2020 to June 2021. This was a 4.76% increase from 77 million items when compared with July 2019 to June 2020.

It should be noted, national lockdowns were implemented between 23 March to 4 July 2020, 5 November to 2 December 2020, and from 6 January 2021 with relaxation of lockdown restrictions commencing from March 2021 onwards.

2.2. Hypnotics and anxiolytics

Hypnotics are used to treat insomnia - a difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep long enough to feel refreshed. Most hypnotics will sedate if given during the day. Anxiolytics are used in the treatment of anxiety states and if given at night will help to induce sleep. The drugs classified as hypnotics and anxiolytics are described in the BNF 68 section 4.1:

  • BNF paragraph 4.1.1 - Hypnotics
  • BNF paragraph 4.1.2 - Anxiolytics
  • BNF paragraph 4.1.3 - Barbiturates

More information about these medicines can be found in section 3 of this summary.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Quarterly table

There were 3.49 million hypnotics and anxiolytics prescribed in the first quarter of financial year 2021/22. This was a 1.98% decrease from 3.56 million items compared with the same quarter a year ago, and a 2.21 decrease from 3.56 million items in the previous quarter. Prescribing of hypnotics and anxiolytics has been decreasing since 2016, with 472,000 fewer items prescribed in Q1 2021/22 when compared to Q1 2016/17, a decrease of 11.9% over the period.

There were an estimated 1.04 million identified patients who were prescribed at least one hypnotic and anxiolytic in quarter one of 2021/22. This was a 0.42% decrease from 1.05 million identified patients when compared with the same quarter in 2020/21, and a 5.13% decrease from 1.10 million identified patients in the previous quarter. The long-term trends for patients receiving hypnotics and anxiolytics are similar to the overall prescribing of items. There were 178,000 fewer identified patients who received a hypnotic and anxiolytic item in quarter one 2021/22 compared to quarter one 2016/17, a decrease of 14.6%. However, it should be noted that this is likely to be an underestimate of the actual decrease in patient numbers, as the proportion of patients who could be identified increased. In Q1 2016/17, 93.5% of items were prescribed to identified patients, this increased by 3.3 percentage points in Q1 2021/22 to 96.8% of items.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

The monthly time series for hypnotics and anxiolytics show some regular patterns as well as month-to-month variation. Some of the regular changes may reflect seasonal patterns; most notably there tends to be less prescribing in months with fewer dispensing days, such as February.

As patients can appear in more than one month of data, adding the patients for different months together would result in an inaccurate estimate of the number of unique patients that have received prescribing in this period. Therefore, we have calculated the average number of patients for comparison purposes. This average is a mean, calculated by summing the number of patients for the periods in question and dividing by the number of months in the period.

It should be noted, national lockdowns were implemented between 23 March to 4 July 2020, 5 November to 2 December 2020, and from 6 January 2021 with relaxation of lockdown restrictions commencing from March 2021 onwards. There were 14.2 million hypnotic and anxiolytic items prescribed in the 12 months July 2020 to June 2021. This was a 2.18% decrease from 14.6 million items when compared with July 2019 to June 2020.

The monthly average number of identified patients receiving at least one hypnotic and anxiolytic item in the 12 months July 2020 to June 2021 was 696,000. This was a decrease of 0.21% from a monthly average of 697,000 identified patients in the period July 2019 to June 2020.

2.3. Antipsychotics

These drugs are used to treat psychoses and related disorders. These drugs are classified and described under the BNF 68 section 4.2:

  • BNF paragraph 4.2.1 - Antipsychotic drugs
  • BNF paragraph 4.2.2 - Antipsychotic depot injections
  • BNF paragraph 4.2.3 - Drugs for mania and hypomania

More information about these medicines can be found in section 3 of this summary.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Quarterly table

There were 3.27 million antipsychotic items prescribed in the first quarter of financial year 2021/22. This was a 0.72% increase from 3.25 million items compared with the same quarter a year ago, and a 0.92% increase from 3.24 million items in the previous quarter. Prescribing of antipsychotic drugs has been increasing since 2016, with 427,000 items more prescribed in quarter one 2021/22 to quarter one 2016/17, an increase of 15.0% over a period of five years.

There were an estimated 630,000 identified patients who were prescribed at least one antipsychotic drug item in quarter one of 2021/22. This was a 0.02% increase, an additionl 123 patients compared to the same quarter in 2020/21, and a 0.86% decrease from 636,000 identified patients in the previous quarter. The long-term trends for patients receiving antipsychotic drugs are similar to the overall prescribing of items. There were 79,800 more identified patients receiving an antipsychotic item in quarter one 2021/22 compared to quarter one 2016/17, an increase of 14.5%. However, it should be noted that this is likely to be an overestimate of the actual increase in patient numbers, as the proportion of patients who could be identified also increased. In Q1 2016/17, 93.5% of items were prescribed to identified patients, this increased by 3.2 percentage points in Q1 2021/22 to 96.7% of items.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

The monthly time series for antipsychotics show some regular patterns as well as month-to-month variation; most notably there tends to be less prescribing in months with fewer dispensing days, such as February.

As patients can appear in more than one month of data, adding the patients for different months together would result in an inaccurate estimate of the number of unique patients that have received prescribing in this period. Therefore, we have calculated the average number of patients for comparison purposes. This average is a mean, calculated by summing the number of patients for the periods in question and dividing by the number of months in the period.

National lockdowns were implemented between 23 March to 4 July 2020, 5 November to 2 December 2020, and from 6 January 2021 with relaxation of lockdown restrictions commencing from March 2021 onwards. There were 13.0 million antipsychotic items prescribed in the 12 months July 2020 to June 2021. This was a 2.12% increase from 12.8 million items when compared with July 2019 to June 2020.

The monthly average number of identified patients receiving at least one antipsychotic item in the 12 months from July 2020 to June 2021 was 488,000. This was an increase of 4.64% from an average of 466,000 identified patients when compared with July 2019 to June 2020.

2.4. Central nervous system (CNS) stimulants and drugs used for ADHD

CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD are described in the BNF 68 section 4.4:

  • BNF chemical substance 0404000D0 - Caffeine
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000E0 - Caffeine citrate
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000L0 - Dexamfetamine sulfate
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000M0 - Methylphenidate hydrochloride
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000R0 - Modafinil
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000S0 - Atomoxetine hydrochloride
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000T0 - Dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000U0 - Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000V0 - Guanfacine
  • BNF chemical substance 0404000W0 - Pitolisant hydrochloride

More information about these medicines can be found in section 3 of this summary.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Quarterly table

There were 509,000 CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD items prescribed in the first quarter of financial year 2021/22. This was a 18.92% increase from 428,000 items compared with the same quarter a year ago, and a 6.61% increase from 477,000 items in the previous quarter. CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD have seen a marked increase in usage since 2016, with an increase of 162,000 items from quarter one 2016/17 to quarter one 2021/22, an increase of 46.7%

There were an estimated 139,000 identified patients who were prescribed at least one CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD item in quarter one of 2021/22. This was an 18.0% increase from 118,000 identified patients when compared with the same quarter in 2020/21, and a 5.43% increase from 132,000 identified patients in the previous quarter. The long-term trends for patients receiving CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD are similar to the overall prescribing of items. There were 50,800 more identified patients who received a CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD item in quarter one 2021/22 compared to quarter one 2016/17, an increase of 57.7%. However, it should be noted that this is likely to be an overestimate of the actual increase in patient numbers, as the proportion of patients who could be identified also increased. In Q1 2016/17, 82.0% of items were prescribed to identified patients, this increased by 5.7 percentage points in Q1 2021/22 to 87.6% of items.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

The monthly time series for CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD show some regular patterns as well as month-to-month variation. Some of the regular changes may reflect seasonal patterns; most notably there tends to be less prescribing in months with fewer dispensing days, such as February.

As patients can appear in more than one month of data, adding the patients for different months together would result in an inaccurate estimate of the number of unique patients that have received prescribing in this period. Therefore, we have calculated the average number of patients for comparison purposes. This average is a mean, calculated by summing the number of patients for the periods in question and dividing by the number of months in the period.

National lockdowns were implemented between 23 March to 4 July 2020, 5 November to 2 December 2020, and from 6 January 2021 with relaxation of lockdown restrictions commencing from March 2021 onwards. There were 1.91 million CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD items prescribed in the 12 months July 2020 to June 2021. This was a 6.63% increase from 1.79 million items when compared with July 2019 to June 2020.

The monthly average number of identified patients receiving at least one CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD item in the 12 months from July 2020 to June 2021 was 92,700. This was an increase of 10.9% from a monthly average of 83,600 identified patients in the period July 2019 to June 2020.

2.5. Drugs for dementia

Dementia is a progressive clinical syndrome characterised by a range of cognitive and behavioural symptoms that can include memory loss, problems with reasoning and communication, a change in personality, and a reduced ability to carry out daily activities such as washing or dressing. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia; other common types of dementia include vascular dementia (where dementia is due to cerebrovascular disease), dementia with Lewy bodies (where dementia is due to protein deposits in the brain), mixed dementia, and frontotemporal dementia (where dementia is due to progressive nerve loss in either the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain).

Drugs for dementia are described in the BNF 68 section 4.11:

  • BNF chemical substance 0411000D0 - Donepezil hydrochloride
  • BNF chemical substance 0411000E0 - Rivastigmine
  • BNF chemical substance 0411000F0 - Galantamine
  • BNF chemical substance 0411000G0 - Memantine hydrochloride

More information about these medicines can be found in section 3 of this summary.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Quarterly table

There were 997,000 Drugs for dementia prescribed in the first quarter of financial year 2021/22. This was a 3.94% decrease from 1.04 million items compared with the same quarter a year ago, and a 1.51% increase from 982,000 items in the previous quarter.

Typically, the pattern of prescribing follows a decrease between quarter three and four, followed by three consecutive increases from quarter four to quarter three of the next year. However, last year only quarter three saw an increase in items against the previous quarter following three consecutive quarters of decreases. There has been an increase in quarter one of 2021/22 which may indicate a return to typical prescribing patterns.

There were an estimated 224,000 identified patients prescribed at least one drug for dementia item in quarter one of 2021/22. This was a 3.14% decrease from 231,000 identified patients when compared with the same quarter in 2020/21, and a 0.04% increase from 224,000 identified patients in the previous quarter. However, it should be noted that this is likely to be an underestimate of the actual decrease in patient numbers, as the proportion of patients who could be identified increased. In Q1 2016/17, 92.3% of items were prescribed to identified patients, this increased by 4.2 percentage points in Q1 2021/22 to 96.5% of items.

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

The monthly time series for drugs used in dementia show some regular patterns as well as month-to-month variation. Some of the regular changes may reflect seasonal patterns; most notably there tends to be less prescribing in months with fewer dispensing days, such as February.

As patients can appear in more than one month of data, adding the patients for different months together would result in an inaccurate estimate of the number of unique patients that have received prescribing in this period. Therefore, we have calculated the average number of patients for comparison purposes. This average is a mean, calculated by summing the number of patients for the periods in question and dividing by the number of months in the period.

National lockdowns were implemented between 23 March to 4 July 2020, 5 November to 2 December 2020, and from 6 January 2021 with relaxation of lockdown restrictions commencing from March 2021 onwards. There were 4.01 million drugs for dementia prescribed in the 12 months July 2020 to June 2021. This was a 5.11% decrease from 4.22 million items when compared with July 2019 to March 2020.

The monthly average number of identified patients receiving at least one drugs for dementia item in the 12 months from July 2020 to June 2021 was 186,000. This was a decrease of 2.51% from an average of 191,000 identified patients when compared with July 2019 to June 2020.

3. Prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic

The number of expected prescription items for the below sections during this period have been calculated by extrapolating figures for March 2020 to June 2021 according to:

  • the trend in prescription items for each secion between April 2015 and February 2020
  • the number of dispensing days that occur in each month
  • the typical differences between each month of the year observed between April 2015 and February 2020

All sections except Drugs for dementia show variation within expected values, with drugs for dementia showing a statistically significant decrease in this period.

3.1. Antidepressant Prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

In the 16-month period from March 2020 to June 2021, 107 million antidepressant items were prescribed in England. This was 1.24 million – 1.18% – more than the 106 million items expected based on historical trends. However, this increase in prescribed items does not fall outside of the expected range of values for the period.

3.2. Hypnotics and anxiolytics prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

In the 16-month period from March 2020 to June 2021, 19.0 million hypnotics and anxiolytics items were prescribed in England. This was 179,000 – 0.95% – more than the 18.9 million items expected based on historical trends. However, this increase in prescribed items does not fall outside of the expected range of values for the period.

3.4. CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

In the 16-month period from March 2020 to June 2021, 2.51 million CNS stimulants and drugs used for ADHD items were prescribed in England. This was 3,800 – 0.15% – more than the 2.50 million items expected based on historical trends. However, this decrease in prescribed items does not fall outside of the expected range of values for the period.

3.5. Drugs for dementia prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Source: Quarterly Summary Tables - Monthly table

In the 16-month period from March 2020 to June 2021, 5.40 million drugs for dementia items were prescribed in England. This was 481,000 – 8.19% – fewer than the 5.88 million items expected based on historical trends. This decrease also falls outside of the expected range of values, showing a statistically significant decrease in prescribing of drugs for dementia in this period.

4. Background

4.1. Antidepressant drugs

Antidepressant drugs are licensed to treat major depression. Health professionals use the words depression, depressive illness or clinical depression to refer to depression. It is a serious illness and very different from the common experience of feeling unhappy or fed up for a short period of time. Depressed people may have feelings of extreme sadness that can last for a long time. These feelings are severe enough to interfere with daily life, and can last for weeks, months or years, rather than days.

It should be noted that antidepressant drugs are used for indications other than depression, for example migraine, chronic pain, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), or a range of other conditions. Clinical indication isn’t captured by the NHSBSA. Therefore, the statistics on these drugs do not relate solely to prescribing for depression.

You can find more information about depression on the NHS website.

4.2. Hypnotics and anxiolytics

Hypnotics and anxiolytics are used to treat insomnia and anxiety respectively.

Insomnia is difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed in the morning, despite there being enough opportunity to sleep. The most common problem with insomnia is difficult falling asleep (sleep-onset insomnia). An insomniac may also experience:

  • waking in the night
  • not feeling refreshed after sleep and not being able to function normally during the day
  • feeling irritable and tired and finding it difficult to concentrate
  • waking when they have been disturbed from sleep by pain or noise
  • waking early in the morning

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, which can be mild or severe. Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety at some point in their life and feeling anxious is sometimes perfectly normal. However, people with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) find it hard to control their worries. Their feelings of anxiety are more constant and often affect their daily life. There are several conditions for which anxiety is the main symptom. Panic disorder, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder can all cause severe anxiety.

You can find more information about insomnia and anxiety from the NHS website.

4.4. Central nervous system (CNS) stimulants and drugs used for ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) refer to a range of problem behaviours associated with poor attention span. These may include impulsiveness and hyperactivity, as well as inattentiveness; behaviours that often prevent children and adults from learning and socialising. ADHD is sometimes referred to as hyperkinetic disorder (HD).

You can find more information about ADHD on the NHS website.

4.5. Drugs for dementia

Dementia is a disease that leads to progressive loss of brain function typified by memory loss, confusion, speech difficulties and problems in understanding. There are over 100 different types of dementia. The most common forms are:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Vascular dementia
  • Dementia with Lewy bodies
  • Pick’s disease
  • Huntington’s disease
  • Alcohol-related dementia
  • HIV/AIDS related dementia

Dementia mainly affects older people but can also occur in people as young as thirty due to either alcohol abuse or HIV/AIDS. No cure for dementia currently exists. However, drugs may slow the rate of decline or in some patients make a small improvement in symptoms. Despite this, disease progression is inevitable.

You can find more information about the various types of dementia on the NHS website.

5. About these statistics

This publication is part of a series by the NHSBSA. This quarterly summary is intended to supplement the annual summary statistics released in each year and previous quarterly summaries.

5.1. Patient counts

The patient counts shown in these statistics should only be analysed at the level at which they are presented. Adding together any patient counts is likely to result in an overestimate of the number of patients. A patient will be included, or counted, in each category or time period in which they received relevant prescriptions. For example, if a patient received a prescription item for an antidepressant drug in Q1 2020/21, and another in Q2 2020/21 then adding together those totals would count that patient twice. For the same reason, data on patient counts for different BNF sections should not be added together.

5.3. Averages

Where this document refers to ‘average’, this is the mean unless otherwise stated. This is calculated by adding the number of items/patients/months together and dividing this by the number of items/patients/months.

5.4. Planned changes to this publication

This is an experimental official statistic release. Experimental statistics are newly developed or innovative statistics. These are published so that users and stakeholders can be involved in the assessment of their suitability and quality at an early stage. We will regularly be reviewing the methodology used within the statistics.

6. Statistical disclosure control

Statistical disclosure control has been applied to these statistics. Patient count, items, and net ingredient cost (NIC) have been redacted in the supporting summary tables if they relate to fewer than 5 patients. Further information about our statistical disclosure control protocol can be found on our website.

The high level figures in this statistical summary have been rounded where appropriate for clarity, in most cases to three significant figures. This is to make this narrative as accessible as possible to all readers. The summary tables released with this publication allow users to investigate this data at lower levels of granularity. Figures in the supplementary tables have not been rounded.

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