The number of people on psychotropic drugs, which affect a person's mental state, has skyrocketed in recent years in Belgium: almost three million people now take at least one such pill. The country is now looking to restrict their use.
From anxiety-relieving benzodiazepines and sleeping pills to antidepressants and antipsychotics, one in four people in Belgium was hooked on at least one psychotropic drug in 2022, data from the FPS Public Health showed. In five years, the number of such drugs has risen by almost 70% to 812 million, including 370 million antidepressants, 55 million antipsychotics and 17 million psychostimulants.
In certain cases, these drugs are necessary to manage certain mental health issues, but sometimes, the treatments are not adapted to patients' needs. In other cases, the use of these pills is unjustly prolonged, hardly followed up and rarely questioned, leading to addiction and dependence.
"The high and partly inappropriate use of psychopharmaceuticals in our country is highly problematic. After all, it delays or interferes with patients' recovery," Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said.
"We urgently need to move towards a more correct use of psychopharmaceuticals through an informed, determined and consultative approach."
Targeted campaign
To encourage more appropriate use of these treatments and tackle the worryingly high number of people relying on these drugs, a new online campaign aimed at raising awareness among healthcare professionals was launched by the FPS Public Health.
"I want to strengthen the role of health professionals by highlighting their responsibility because as the prescribers and facilitators of our fellow citizens' recovery, they have a crucial role to play in improving the current situation," Vandenbroucke said.
The campaign targets general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists and psychologists in general, calling on them to steer patients towards non-medicinal treatments, which are much more effective in the long term, from the outset.
It also focuses on the need to assess the appropriateness of any treatment involving psychotropic drugs. "The severity of depression determines whether it is necessary to use an antidepressant in addition to a non-medicinal approach. With antipsychotics, the therapeutic indications are limited. Again, a high degree of caution is required," Vandenbroucke noted.
The new campaign encourages collaboration between GPs, pharmacists and – for the first time – clinical psychologists; these health professionals will provide consultations for one joint patient.
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Sabine Stordeur, Director General of DG Healthcare, believes that this campaign will be more effective than the five previous ones carried out over the last 20 years. "The addition of clinical psychologists to the campaign will enable the broader multidisciplinary collaboration that is needed in mental health care," she said.
The Federal Government has freed up an additional €330 million for mental health support, including €165 million for a new agreement on psychological care, enabling citizens to benefit from a first session free of charge and ten sessions at a lower price. While this investment is welcomed, very few psychologists are part of the convention, limiting its impact, and resulting in longer waiting lists.
