By: Sarah Reilly

There have been many scary headlines in national news outlets over the last few weeks regarding the substantial rise in the use of anti-depressants among Irish people.

Headline examples include:
“Sedation Nation” –Irish Times (27th October 2012)
“Sedative and tranquilliser use increases 40% in five years”–Irish Times (24th October 2012)
“Increase in use of sedatives and anti-depressants”–RTÉ News (23rd October 2012)

These headlines all followed the result of a National Drug Prevalence survey.

Survey findings suggest that there has been a 40 per cent increase in the use of sedatives and tranquillisers among adults over the last five years.

The City’s Sarah Reilly took to the streets of Dublin to find out people’s opinions on the subject.

If you or anyone close to you is affected by depression,  please do not hesitate to contact the following services:

AWARE
Helpline: 1890 303 302 Seven days a week, 10am–10pm
Email: info@aware.ie
Website: www.aware.ie

GROW

Information line: 1890 474 474
Email: info@grow.ie
Website: www.grow.ie

HSE National Information Line

Monday to Saturday, 8am-8pm
Call Save: 1850 24 1850
Email: info@hse.ie

Senior helpline

LoCall: 1850 440 444 Seven days a week, 10am-1pm and 7-10pm

The Samaritans

Helpline: 1850 60 90 9024 hour service
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Website: www.samaritans.org

Mental Health Ireland

Tel 01-284 1166 or 086-8353387
Email: information@mentalhealthireland.ie
Website: www.mentalhealthireland.ie