Background: Antidepressant prescribing rates in England have been increasing since the 1970s. The impact of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) initiative on antidepressant prescribing rates is unknown.
Aim: To investigate the impact of the establishment of IAPT services on antidepressant prescribing rates in primary care trusts (PCTs) in England.
Design and setting: A longitudinal time-series analysis, using PCT-level data from 2008 to 2011 set in England.
Method: A time-series analysis was conducted using PCT-level prescription data, dates of establishment of IAPT services, and covariate data for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Statistical analysis was carried out using analysis of variance and a random-effect negative binomial model.
Results: Antidepressant prescribing rates in England increased by 10% per year during the study period (adjusted rate ratio = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.10). The implementation of IAPT services had no significant effect on antidepressant prescribing (adjusted rate ratio = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.99 to 1.00).
Conclusion: Introduction of a large-scale initiative to increase provision of psychological therapies has not curbed the long-term increased prescribing of antidepressants in England.