Clegg calls for more therapists

Nick Clegg has called for more investment in talking therapies after new research found there was no evidence that drugs such as Prozac benefitted people with depression.

Speaking during prime minister's questions on Wednesday, the Liberal Democrat leader said the NHS spends more than £300m on antidepressant medications.

He called on Gordon Brown to develop a "mental health strategy which helps patients rather than pouring millions of pounds into the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry for drugs that don't even work".

The prime minister pointed to plans for an additional 3,600 therapists, but acknowledged that "we should do more so that people are not dependant on the drugs that he's talking about".

Accusing Brown of taking "half measures", Clegg noted the government's mental health adviser Lord Layard's recommendation that an additional 10,000 therapists were needed to address the problem.

Brown responded: "Lord Layard has said he supports the policy that we're putting forward. That policy will receive the support of £173m to invest in the psychological help that people can give.

"We are looking at piloting some of Lord Layard's proposals about how we can help people get into work. We are doing exactly what he's asked us to do."

A review of clinical trials from the Department of Psychology at the University of Hull found on Tuesday that drugs often worked no better than dummy pills in treating depression.

"The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking antidepressants is not very great," said lead researcher professor Irving Kirsch. "This means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments."