Study highlights urgent shortage of evidence for safe withdrawal from antidepressants ANI | Updated: Apr 23, 2021 11:42 IST Southampton [UK], April 23 (ANI): The findings of a new study suggest that while much is known about the ever-increasing uptake of antidepressant medications around the world, there is very little evidence on safe and effective approaches to discontinuing treatment. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews'. In 2020, there were 78 million prescriptions for antidepressants in England, and about half of the patients treated have taken them for at least two years. Guidelines typically recommend that antidepressants be taken for up to 6 to 12 months after improvement, or for up to two years in people at risk of relapse, but many people take antidepressants for much longer.