Some interesting points have been made as well as the links.
The main thing is to distinguish between the science that is carried out and the reporting of it - and only to trust reputable media rather than for example, the likes of the Daily Mail which tends to be sensationalist.
What is reported in the reputable media is usually the best information that we have at present - or the latest trusted research. The scare stories do represent research that has been carried out - but this may be subsequently refuted by later work. This is how science works.
The fact that this one was a longitudinal study (following the same invidiuals over time) does give it more credence than a cross-sectional one ( looking at lots of individuals at a particular point in time).
As the Alzheimer's Society says, the study doesn't prove conclusively that these drugs cause dementia (neither does it prove that they don't) but says that more work needs to be done to understand the risks of taking them later in life.
Notwithstanding the need to prescribe some of these drugs for depression, if it prevents doctors prescribing ADs willy nilly for mild anxiety especially if it is hormonally induced/menopausal, then that can only be a good thing as Dancinggirl says.
I'm with rosebud on this one - only use drugs when necessary and for the shortest possible time. Bio-identical HRT of course, is not a drug.
Hurdity x