Doctors generally like to dish these out like sweets even for a sore throat.

Is anyone surprised?

Really?

The guidelines say you need to wait two weeks before considering treatment and even then antidepressants aren't always the appropriate choice.

Anyway, I spent four months doing psychiatry. Whilst I won't profess to knowing it all, it was quite obvious who benefitted and who didn't. The people who were depressed for no reason/cause were the ones most likely to benefit. those who were depressed because of circumstances eg job loss, wouldn't improve until they had a resolution of their situation eg new job.

Furthermore not everyone will respond to medication and may require higher doses or multiple therapy, even going so far as electroconvulsive therapy, before they start to improve.

As for sore throats, I have very short thrift (provided there are no warning signs). I've had to deal with people who decide to turn up to A&E at 1am and will wait 3-4 hours just because of a sore throat.

Aye, I can't even remember why I went in and I was offered them, that was after my allotted 5 minutes.

I think he understood it as a no when he saw the confused look on my face.

Others, well just a few family members.

Perhaps all these docs had just had a nice meal with a drugs rep...

A quick amputation would have sorted that.

I know of some Psychiatrists that have employed ECT before exhausting all Psychological avenues. I'm not saying they did anything wrong but the trouble is many Clinical Psychologists just don't have the time to spend as long as they'd wish on hospital wards due to the staffing/need ratio.

The staffing/need aspect of the NHS makes me feel just as angry on your behalf for when numptees turn up with a sore throat or a cut that needs a plaster on it.

The same goes for those halfwits that phone 999 for nonsensical reasons. I couldn't believe some of the apparent calls until I heard on TV a call where they wanted to know what the lottery results were.