Number of mental health prescriptions surge in children

Research conducted by the University of Aberdeen has uncovered mental health prescriptions for children in Scotland have risen by over 50%.

The study, which was published in BMC Psychiatry, discovered the number of children in Grampian, located in the east coast of Scotland, who had been prescribed medication to assist with their mental health had risen by almost 60% in six years.

Experts found medication for anti-depressants was more commonly distributed (59%) and prescriptions to treat ADHD were up by 45%.

Researchers from the university studied children’s medical records from 2015-2021. From this, they uncovered a total of 178,657 mental health prescriptions and 21,874 referrals to specialist outpatient care for 18,732 children over the period.

Working alongside The Health Foundation, the report found children who had been referred to specialist outpatient services had risen by 11% since the pandemic. However, although more children were seeking help for their mental health, experts also found more children were being turned away or redirected to find treatment elsewhere.

Whilst looking at children’s mental states, researchers examined their living situations and concluded children living in deprived areas needed more help with their mental health.

Compared to children living in wealthy areas, academics found children living in deprived areas had twice as many prescriptions for mental health medications. They also had twice the rate of referral to specialist mental health services and were referred at younger ages.

Dr William Ball, a Research Fellow in the Networked Data Lab at the University, said: ‘One in six children in the United Kingdom are estimated to have a mental health condition, and many do not receive support or treatment.

‘The large increase in mental health prescribing and changes in referrals to specialist outpatient care aligns with emerging evidence of increasing poor mental health, particularly since the start of the pandemic.

‘Persistent and avoidable inequities in mental health prescribing and referrals require urgent action.’

As well as prescriptions for depression and ADHD increasing, researchers discovered medication distributed to treat psychoses and related disorders increased by 35% in children in Scotland.

Similarly, researchers in Manchester have unveiled a rise in antipsychotic prescriptions for children and young people. Experts found the number of drugs prescribed had doubled from 0.06% to 0.11% between 2000 – 2019.

The drugs, which have a tranquillising effect, are frequently used in adults to treat major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. Although, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has approved their use for some under 18s.

The study, published in the Lancet Psychiatry by experts from the University of Manchester, suggests they are more commonly prescribed for children and young people with autism.

Dr Matthias Pierce, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester’s Centre for Women’s Mental Health, said: ‘This study demonstrates a concerning trend in antipsychotic prescribing in children and adolescents.

‘We do not think the changes in prescribing necessarily relate to changes in clinical need; rather, it may be more likely to reflect changes in prescribing practice by clinicians.

‘However, this study will help clinicians to evaluate the prescribing of antipsychotics to children more fully and will encourage them to consider better access to alternatives.’

Photo by Ksenia Yakovleva and Eric Ward