UK doctors have come under scrutiny for allegedly prescribing more psychotropic drugs to children under the age of 16 than is probably necessary. According to figures recorded by the government, prescriptions of psychiatric drugs in the United Kingdom to children under the age of 16 have more than quadrupled since the mid-1990s.
In the mid-’90s, general practitioners wrote 146,000 such prescriptions, while in the most recent fiscal year they wrote 613,000 31 million prescriptions were written in 2006 which come to a whopping 6 percent more than in the previous year. Surprisingly, there has not been corresponding increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders among children to vouch for the prescriptions.
This has triggered off the accusation that doctors are too quick to prescribe drugs, rather than trying to zero in on the actual problem. As Marjorie Wallace of the mental health charity Sane reflects-
While in some cases there may be a need for medication as part of a treatment plan, drugs should not be seen as the only solution. Children’s mental health problems need to be tackled at the root by making therapy more widely available, by examining the causes and by encouraging better awareness amongst children themselves, parents, teachers and general practitioners.
Mayur Lakhani, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, however, is defensive about the doctors. Doctors consider the need for anti-depressants only after a careful assessment of the patient’s clinical condition.
All we can do is hope that it is not mere negligence on the part of the doctors who are no less than gods to the patients. Neither is it an issue to argue, because whoever wins the fight, it’s the children who lose. What is required is deep sympathy and understanding on the parts of the doctors coupled with awareness of the children’s guardians.
Source: Newstarget