Psychosis drug use in the young 'has doubled'
06 May 08
Source: The Telegraph
The number of children being treated with anti-psychotic drugs has almost doubled in recent years, a study has found.
Experts say that the rising number of prescriptions include drugs that are medically unproven and not permitted for use among children.
In many cases hyperactive or autistic children are being given drugs designed to treat far more severe conditions such as schizophrenia.
Research by academics at the University of London's School of Pharmacy, who trawled records of nearly 400 GP surgeries, found that in 1992 children were prescribed anti-psychotics at a rate of less than four per 10,000 children. By 2005, that rate had risen to seven per 10,000.
