Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms severe, says new report

Existing guidance that symptoms are minimal leads to misdiagnosis and 'harmful long-term prescribing'

Half of all those taking antidepressants experience withdrawal problems when they try to give them up and for millions of people in England, these are severe, according to a new review of the evidence commissioned by MPs.

Guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which says withdrawal symptoms "are usually mild and self-limiting over about one week" urgently needs to be changed, say the review authors.