Voting patterns, revoking article 50 and antidepressant trends in England following the Brexit referendum

Unexpected social or economic events have been shown to negatively impact mental health and wellbeing. The result of the 2016 Brexit referendum in the UK has been associated with an increase in uncertainty and consequent anxiety. This study analyses antidepressant prescription trends in the 533 constituencies of England in the year before and three years following the referendum. We examine associations between prescription trends and constituency-level voting patterns in the referendum and later support for the March 2019 "Revoke Article 50", signed by more than 6 million UK citizens. A mixed model analysis revealed the rate of increase in antidepressant prescription trends to be steeper in Leave constituencies and in areas that did not support the petition, after controlling for constituency education, socioeconomic status, median age, total population, and seasonal effects. Proposed interpretations are provided, along with recommendations for future research. Implications for this study include redoubling mental health care service in areas that show significantly higher mental distress following a major political event.