The recession (aka the credit crunch) is leading more and more people to use and rely on anti-depressant pills.

In  London alone, doctors and GPs handed out nearly 3.27m prescriptions last year - a rise of 188,252 in 12 months. Recently released figures also show that the NHS spending on drugs to beat depression and anxiety has increased to £24.3 million since the beginning of 2008.

A spokesperson for the mental health chariety Rethink suggested the rise in the use of anti-depressant pills and drugs was directly linked to the recession and credit crunch, where financial and unemployment stress has sharply increased. However, ReThink also stressed that turning to anti-depressants wasn't the answer.