New research shows that the number of people in the UK using drugs to combat anxiety is increasing.
The study found that women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with anxiety and prescribed medication to relieve it.
It is possible that women are more likely to seek help for anxiety or take medication for their mental health, and therefore are more likely to be prescribed anxiolytics.
The University of Bristol's medical school has found that more women are diagnosed with anxiety and treated for it.
Her findings were published in the British Journal of General Practice. They are based on the analysis of the care given to almost 2.6 million adults registered with 176 GP practices across the UK from 2003 to 2018, including
There are 2.26 women on antidepressants for every man, 2.22 for Valium-like drugs, 2.33 for beta blockers and 2.19 for anticonvulsants.
The drugs less frequently prescribed for more severe anxiety are more likely to be prescribed for women.
She said that use of anti-anxiety medication was steady between 2003 and 2008 but then began to rise due to hardship.
The number of new prescriptions issued for anxiety rose from 25 to 26 per 1,000 person years at risk in the period from 2012 to 2018, according to a measure of the prevalence of anxiety.
The study found that the biggest rises in prescription of anti-anxiety drugs were in people under the age of 25.
She said that that could reflect better detection of anxiety, the increasing severity of symptoms or the growing acceptability of using medication to treat the condition.
The rise in new diagnoses of anxiety among 18- to 35-year-olds is likely to be the result of individuals having been refused case from the National Health Service when they were under 18.
Over a quarter of referrals to Camhs were rejected, potentially leading to an increase in the number of prescriptions for the youngest age group.
Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said the proven effectiveness of antidepressants meant the rise in their use should not be a cause for alarm.
It is most likely that more people are seeking medical help for anxiety related conditions, as well as improvement in the identification and diagnosis of them.
Women are more comfortable seeking help for mental health conditions than men are.
Men are less likely to seek treatment for the condition because of the stigma associated with poor mental health.
As a result of being prescribed drugs for which there is scant evidence that they work, such as beta blockers, or which are contrary to clinical guidelines, some people with anxiety are likely to be suffering unnecessary harm.
Marshall said that the new research did not capture the impact of the Covid pandemic, which has led to a growing number of people presenting at their GP surgery with mental health problems.
He called for better mental health care in the UK.
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