British GPs’ prescriptions for opioid painkillers have risen sixfold since 1991 to 1.4 billion a year, according to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Abuse. More than 500 million prescriptions a year are written for sedatives, sleeping pills and tranquillisers, and the prescribing of benzodiazepine tranquillisers for anxiety has also risen.
It bothers me.
These are colossal figures and they are very, very sad. Not only is level of prescribing unaffordable, but it is increasing – this is not sustainable health care! But more importantly, I feel, what about all the pain, sadness, anxiety, sleeplessness and so on which this prescribing is supposed to address? Shouldn’t we be developing and delivering health care (without drugs) which sustains health, which supports resilience and vitality, which helps people to cope with daily stresses, and shouldn’t we be getting a handle on what all this stress is about, and actually dealing with that? It seems our current social and economic system is well broken!
Heroes Not Zombies 
It bothers me too .
It seems to me that its akin to a pressure cooker ready to blow ……To keep the pressure cooker simmering away, we keep the lid firmly locked on tight – as long as its contained its fine ….In a system that negates or completely ignores divergent thinking…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U (about 7.30 minutes in ) we aim to stifle feelings and reduce the capacity for engagement with others.
I work with many Drs , they are really good people who understand the complexities of behaviour and would love to offer alternative solutions. Many patients demand pharmacology solutions and its very difficult in this situation not to oblige .
I think that we get medical solutions that reflect the cultural paradigm we are in – ‘quick’ , ‘technological’ and individual/’atomistic’–probably simplistic and short sighted too…. Best option perhaps is to stay away from medicine as a solution altogether and read Medical Nemesis ………
http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0303critic/030313illich/Frame.Illich.Ch2.html
‘Most of man’s ailments consist of illnesses that are acute and benign—either self-limiting or subject to control through a few dozen routine interventions.139 For a wide range of conditions, those who are treated least probably make the best progress.’
I agree – this is a very sad situation. What are the factors which have led to such increases in prescriptions. Are the way doctors trained the biggest factor, is the scandalous marketing strategies used by the drug companies or both these things and more? Obviously an non-holistic way of looking at health is major but things have gotten seriously out of hand. It’s worse in the US and I think we’re headed the same way. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this Bob.