Telford 'has one of UK's highest depression rates'

Data from GP surgeries suggest that 13.45 per cent of patients in the Telford & Wrekin area have been diagnosed with depression, the eighth highest in the country.

Neighbouring Wyre Forest tops the table with the highest proportion of cases, with 15.9 per cent of people suffering from the condition.

At the other end of the table, the 10 areas with the lowest rates of depression are all in or around London.

However, Emma Lawrence of the Telford-based mental health charity Branches, said the figures might simply reflect the fact that the town had better services which were more likely to pick up on the symptoms.

She said stories about the sexual exploitation of children may also have impacted on the figures.

Mrs Lawrence said there had been a notable increase in people seeking help with depression over the past year.

"We have definitely seen an increase in people with depression," she said.

"We can have up to 70 or 80 people coming through our doors a day.

"But I think it's because we're more aware of it. I don't think it's because they live in Telford.

"I think the number of people suffering from depression will be pretty much the same everywhere, but in Telford we have a very good support network which mean more people come in for help.

"It's a good thing really, that people are coming in to get help."

Mrs Lawrence said people from all a variety of age groups were coming in to use the services, ranging from teenagers to people in their 70s.

The borough's depression rate has increased by 1.1 per cent compared to last year, when it was 12.35 per cent.

The rest of the county also has above-average rates of depression, with 10.88 per cent considered to be suffering from the problem, compared to 9.9 per cent last year.

The increases reflect a wider national trend, where the rate of patients with the condition has risen from 9.1 per cent last year to 9.9 per cent now.

They mean depression has overtaken obesity as the second most common recorded condition in the country.

However the trend masks sharp regional differences, with patients three times more likely to suffer from the condition in the areas with the highest rates compared to those with the lowest.

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale had the second highest rate, at 15.57 per cent, followed by Blackpool at 15.45 per cent, The Wirral at 14.47 per cent, Knowsley at 14.31 per cent, Eastbourne, Hailsham & Seaford at 14.26 per cent, and Stoke-on-Trent at 13.98 per cent.

In next place came Telford & Wrekin, followed by St Helens at 13.44 per cent, and Tameside and Glossop at 13.39 per cent.

At the other end of the table, Newham in East London has a rate of just 5.38 per cent, Ealing is 5.51 per cent, and Redbridge in Essex is 5.52 per cent. The rate for Westminster is 5.69 per cent, Brent 5.9 per cent, Harrow 6.08 per cent, and Hounslow 6.24 per cent.