A HELENSBURGH psychotherapist's plea for action to help people who have become dependent on prescription drugs has prompted the Scottish Government to set up a special expert panel on the issue.

Campaigner Marion Brown petitioned the Scottish Parliament in 2017 on behalf of the local 'Recovery and Renewal' support group, urging the government to do more to help those who have either become hooked on prescription drugs – and in particular psychiatric medication – or who suffer severe withdrawal symptoms after they've stopped taking them.

And the Scottish Government has now set up a 'short life working group' to examine the issues raised in the petition.

The group, under the guidance of the country's chief medical officer, is expected to publish a report later this year.

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Holyrood's public petitions committee, which has been considering Ms Brown's petition since June 2017, has agreed to ask that the hundreds of submissions it received in response to Ms Brown's plea, from members of the public eager to share their experiences of dependence and withdrawal, be taken into account by the government group "as formal evidence of 'experts by experience'".

Ms Brown said: “Due to the absence of research into the real-life outcomes for patients, I believe that this published patient experience evidence is unique and immensely important.

"I thank all those who have contributed and the petitions clerks for their work in processing the submissions, and trust that this will be fully taken into account as ‘expert by experience’ evidence for the short life working group.”

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The petition sparked a total of 222 submissions from members of the public, many sharing in detail their experiences of becoming hooked on medicine prescribed for psychiatric reasons, and the often severe side-effects suffered when they tried to stop taking the drugs.

A similar petition in Wales, lodged in December 2017, has now led to the publication of a report by the Welsh Assembly featuring 10 specific recommendations on the issue, including the need for greater recognition of prescription drug dependence in the national policy and strategy of the Welsh Government.

The Wales petitioner, Stevie Lewis, said: “The Welsh public petitions process has turned out to be truly democratic and empowering.

"All those who provided evidence to my petition were listened to with attention and respect.

"The committee has taken seriously my contention that we need to be able to hold as true two apparently conflicting beliefs about antidepressants at the same time, namely that they can help people and also that they can harm people.

"And once a patient has been harmed by any drug that causes dependence and withdrawal, there are no nationwide NHS services in place to guide and support their recovery."

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A government-led review in England has also been promised, to consider the support needed by people affected by prescribed drug dependence and withdrawal.