The number of antidepressants prescribed to children in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland has risen over the past three years.In England, there was a 15% rise. Scotland saw a 10% increase. And in Northern Ireland the number rose by 6%.
In total, there were 950,000 prescriptions issued between April 2015 and March 2018. Experts have linked the rise to waits for specialist mental health services.Antidepressants should prescribed to children only under close supervision.
The total number of prescriptions rose from 290,393 in 2015-16 to 330,616 in 2017-18.The steepest increase was seen in the youngest patients, those aged 12 and under, where the number of prescriptions rose on average by 24%, from 14,500 to almost 18,000.
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.
Marc Bush, chief policy advisor at Young Minds, said: “The government recently suggested that the average waiting time for general access to Camhs is around 12 weeks, which is a long time to be in distress.
In rare cases, antidepressants can trigger thoughts of suicide and self-harm in children.
