From Mrs A. H. Sutcliffe, MRPharmS
SIR,—I write as a retired pharmacist and as a mother whose daughter died after a two-year battle against severe depression, with no obvious cause. I am also a trustee of Papyrus, a suicide prevention charity formed by parents bereaved through suicide.
I am encouraged by the introduction of the national service framework on mental health, the formation of the College of Mental Health Pharmacists and the publication of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's guidance in the care of people with mental health problems. I would urge community pharmacists in particular, because of their accessibility by the public, to study and implement these guidelines.
Community pharmacists' knowledge of their customers enables them to identify people at risk of suicide and self-harm and to refer when necessary, to be aware of side effects of antidepressants and other medication, and to monitor and promote compliance with medication.
Patients suffering depressive illness need to be treated with patience and understanding. They are often not aware that antidepressants can take take several weeks to become effective, and also that long-term therapy may be required to reduce the chance of relapse. A feeling of well-
being, often sudden and dramatic, is not a sign for early discontinuation of medication.
Pharmacists can help remove the stigma attached to depression and antidepressants. Everyone accepts the need for long-term medication to correct, for example, an irregular heart rhythm; why should the restoration and maintenance of a correct balance of chemicals in the brain be viewed differently?
The Government's strategy "Saving lives — our healthier nation "aims to reduce suicides by 20 per cent by 2010. I appeal to pharmacists to help achieve this target.
Anita H. Sutcliffe Lytham St Annes, Lancashire