Key Summary
- 4.2m central nervous system stimulants and ADHD drug items were supplied to 427,000 patients in England (a 31% increase in total patients).
- 96 million antidepressant items were prescribed to 9.1m patients in 2025/26, new NHSBSA data shows
- Four of five drug categories were prescribed at higher rates in England’s most deprived areas.
Central nervous system (CNS) stimulants and ADHD medications saw significant growth in England last year, driven largely by a sharp increase in adult diagnoses.
Figures from the NHS Business Services Authority show that 4.2m ADHD prescription items were supplied to 427,000 patients in 2025/26-a 31% rise in total patients from the previous year.
Adults aged 18 and over accounted for the vast majority of this growth.
Around 267,000 adult patients were prescribed ADHD medication, marking a 40% rise from 190,000 in 2024/25.
Prescribing also increased among children, but at a slower rate.
The NHSBSA report reveals rising patient numbers across the five recorded mental health medicine categories:
- Antidepressants: 96m items were prescribed to an estimated 9.1 million patients (a 3.1% increase). Female patients accounted for 65% of all users (5.9 million women vs. 3.2 million men), rising to 71% (124,434) among young people aged 15 to 19.
- Hypnotics and anxiolytics: 14m items were prescribed to 1.9 million patients, with female patients continuing to make up the majority.
- Antipsychotics: 14m items were supplied to 882,000 patients, with women receiving more prescriptions than men across most age brackets.
- Dementia drugs: 5m items were prescribed to 341,000 patients (up from 326,000 in 2024/25), taking dementia prescribing to its highest level since 2016/17.
The data shows rising numbers across all five mental health medicine categories tracked by the NHS, including antidepressants, anxiety treatments, antipsychotics, and dementia drugs.
The report also highlighted a clear link between social deprivation and mental health prescribing.
Both the number of items and identified patients increased in all five BNF medicine categories, and four out of five categories had higher numbers of identified patients in more deprived areas in England, with the exception of drugs for dementia.
For antidepressants, prescribing was 44% higher in the most deprived communities compared to the least deprived, while antipsychotic use was twice as high.
In June, NHS said that it has expanded access to mental health services for pupils in schools and colleges.
Almost six million children and young people in England – across 11,800 schools and colleges –now have access to mental health support teams, according to the NHS.
