Fife wide rise in prescriptions for depression, anxiety and mental health

Prescriptions in south and west Fife have gone up by 45.5% since 2010/11 - the highest increase of any part of the region.

When the figures for Levenmouth, the city of Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, Northeast and Southwest Fife are considered together, an average of 20.8% of Fifers were prescribed medication for anxiety, depression, and psychosis in 2020/21.

Fife’s mental health prescription rate is slightly higher than the Scottish national average. Across the country, 19.3% of people have been prescribed medication.

The latest figures from Fife’s Health and Social Care Partnership's locality reports reveal that Levenmouth has the highest rate of mental health prescriptions in Fife. A total of 24.6% of residents were prescribed medication for anxiety, depression, and psychosis in 2020/21 compared to the lowest rate of 17.3% of people in north and east Fife.

Lynne Garvey, head of community care services for the Fife Health and Social Care (HSC) Partnership said: “There are many reasons why people may need medication to support their mental health, and this is very often based on their own specific circumstances.”

Levenmouth councillor David Alexander (SNP) said health outcomes are closely related to employment and deprivation.

Councillor Alexander drew a line of causation between poverty and mental health outcomes. According to him, nearly half of the people in Levenmouth in 2021 were living in the most deprived Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile

“This is a longstanding issue but NHS Fife and the Fife HSC Integration Joint Board (IJB) have put together more detailed locality plans than ever before with detailed statistics and local initiatives,” he said.

“The future should be more promising particularly with the investments in Levenmouth with the Rail Link and other projects. However, what is not clear with the figures is the impact of covid on the stats in the final year of the period.”

Mrs Garvey said the HSC Partnership is working closely with NHS Fife and a range of other agencies to ensure individuals get the help and support they need “whatever form that takes for them.”

She continued: “We have a commitment to improving the mental health and wellbeing of people from all over Fife, and indeed we are in the process of refreshing our Mental Health Strategy. Work is carried out collaboratively in each locality to make sure that help and support is tailored to the needs of those living in those individual areas.”

By areas

Levenmouth: 24.6% of people prescribed medication for anxiety, depression, and psychosis (ADP) The current depression rate is 13.3%

City of Dunfermline: 17.9% of people prescribed medication for ADP. The current depression rate is 12.6%

Cowdenbeath: 23.3% of people prescribed medication for ADP. The current depression rate is 12.2%

Glenrothes: 21.7% of people prescribed medication for ADP. Depression rate unavailable.

Kirkcaldy: 20.9% of people prescribed medication for ADP. The current depression rate is 10.8%

North and east Fife: 17.3% of people prescribed medication for ADP. The current depression rate is 10.3%.

South and west Fife: 20% of people prescribed medication for ADP. The current depression rate is 12.2%