Explaining the rise in antidepressant prescribing: a descriptive study using the general practice research database

As a patient who has been taking antidepressant medication
continuously for 15 years, I would endorse whole-heartedly the authors'
conclusion that:

'future research and guidance needs to concentrate on appropriate
long term prescribing for depression and regular review of medication.'

There seems to be little or no literature available that acknowledges
the position of patients such as myself. What are the long-term
consequences of taking antidepressants for a decade or more? What are the
benefits, if the patient's mental health is stable with antidepressant
use, of reducing or discontinuing medication? How can one best
discontinue medication after taking it for so long? How can
discontinuation symptoms be differentiated from relapse?

Competing interests:
None declared