The number of people treated with antidepressants has increased by almost 5% in the last year, according to new figures.
Official statistics show the drugs were dispensed to 814,181 patients in Scotland during 2014/15, up from 778,180 in 2013/14.
A rise of 28.5% has been recorded since 2009/10, when 633,791 people were treated with antidepressants.
Around two-thirds (66.4%) of the patients who received the drugs in the last year were female, with the peak age between 50-54 years.
Antidepressant treatment also increased with deprivation, with 225,969 patients in the poorest parts of Scotland receiving the drugs, compared to 110,507 in the least deprived areas.
Despite a rise in the number of prescriptions, the total cost of the drugs has fallen by 30.5% between 2004/05 and 2014/15, from £58.7 million £40.8 million.
Statisticians point out that many drugs classified as antidepressants can be used to treat other conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
Opposition parties called on the SNP Government to invest more in alternative therapies and treatment options.
Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw MSP said the increase in antidepressant use was "extremely alarming".
"Years ago the SNP pledged to stop this rise, yet it hasn't even been able to make a dent in it," he said.
"We are now looking at the flabbergasting statistic of more than one in seven people in Scotland being prescribed antidepressants this year.
"There's no doubt these drugs have a place in addressing mental health issues.
"But we urgently have to look at better alternatives than simply parking people on medication in the hope things don't get any worse, with no aspiration for complete recovery."
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume MSP said: "The fact that we have seen such substantial increases in prescriptions raises real concerns over whether this reflects shortages in other services.
"We need to ensure that doctors across Scotland are able to refer patients to the services that offer them the best chance of recovery. If doctors are prescribing anti-depressants because they feel they have no other option then this is a real problem.
"These figures should raise a red flag for SNP ministers. They underline the need for greater investment in mental health services across Scotland."
Mental Health Minister Jamie Hepburn said: "Any prescribing is a clinical decision for a patient's doctor and there is good evidence that GPs assess and treat depression appropriately.
"We have seen more people being prescribed antidepressants as a result of reduction in stigma attached to mental health, and better diagnosis and treatment of depression by GPs.
"This sits alongside a 17.8% drop in suicide rates in Scotland between the periods 2000-2004 and 2010-2014.
"We are also committed to improving access to alternatives, such as psychological therapies, that increase choice and best accommodate patient preference."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here