Rise in antidepressants prescribed to children

Figures obtained by BBC's File on 4 has revealed that there has been a rise in the number of antidepressants prescribed to children in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland over the last three years.

The data shows a 15 per cent increase in England, a 10 per cent increase in Scotland and a six per cent increase in Northern Ireland, with 950,000 prescriptions issued between April 2015 and March 2018.

The steepest increase in a group of powerful antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was seen in the youngest patients, recognised as those aged 12 and under, where the number of prescriptions rose on average by 24 per cent, from 14,500 to almost 18,000, between 2015 and 2017-18.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says that prescriptions should be written by a child psychiatrist within Camhs, not GPs and that antidepressants should be offered only concurrently with psychological therapies. Further to this, the patient must be monitored to check for adverse reactions.

Dr Bernadka Dubicka, who chairs the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "Currently only one in four children and young people are treated for their mental health problems.

"The fact that prescriptions for antidepressants are rising could reflect a slow but steady move towards treating everyone who is unwell. But the importance of giving children access to psychological therapies cannot be overstated. What we don't know from today's data is why these antidepressants are being prescribed, and how. It is vital that they are being used judiciously, monitored carefully, and the risks and benefits of taking them are assessed in each individual case."