Number of children given drugs for ADHD up ninefold with patients as young as …

Nearly 800,000 children were given ADHD medication last year, says the NHS
Doctors are prescribing drugs instead of more expensive treatments

By
Sarah Harris

PUBLISHED:

01:33 GMT, 29 June 2013

|

UPDATED:

02:13 GMT, 29 June 2013

Prescriptions for ‘chemical cosh’ drugs to treat hyperactivity have risen almost nine-fold, with claims that children as young as three are taking them.

The number of drugs prescriptions to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has leapt from 92,100 in 1997 to 786,400 last year, say NHS figures.

It is feared that youngsters are being given them instead of more expensive counselling and other treatments.

Some parents are also believed to be pressurising GPs for drugs to help boost performance at school.

Epidemic: Ritalin is now being prescribed to young children as parents worry about their behaviour in school

Psychologists yesterday demanded tougher regulations and a significant reduction in the prescription of psychotropic drugs, including Ritalin.

Health guidelines say they should not be given to children under six. Symptoms of ADHD include an inability to concentrate and restless or impulsive behaviour.

Experts claim that cuts in funding for recommended treatment, including counselling, are leading to increased prescriptions.

The British Psychological Society’s division of educational and child psychology yesterday held a one-day summit in Manchester to discuss rising concerns about the ‘medicalisation of childhood’.

Ritalin – or methylphenidate hydrochloride – is among a number of so-called ‘chemical coshes’ used to treat ADHD. It can cause nausea, fatigue and mood swings and has been linked to suicides.

Medication: There are fears that doctors are prescribing drugs because they are easier than other treatments

National guidelines in England and Wales say children with ADHD should receive ‘comprehensive’ treatment, including psychological, behavioural and educational help.

But Vivian Hill, chairman of the BPS’s medicalisation of childhood working group, said that this did not always happen.

‘Budgets have been cut and psychiatrists feel they can’t follow the official guidelines, which recommend therapy before drugs.

‘Often, the first response now is to issue drugs, not offer therapeutic help.’ Sbe estimates ‘hundreds’ of children under six, some as young as three, are being given drugs, which might have little impact without other therapy.

A study last year by the Association of Educational Psychologists found more than 100 children under six on Ritalin in the West Midlands – a trend ‘reaffirmed’ nationwide.

A spokesman for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which advises the NHS on treatment, said drugs have a role to play, but psychotherapy is central to managing ADHD.

He added: ‘These drugs are not recommended as first-line treatments for young people with mild or moderate ADHD. They are recommended as first-line therapy for school-age children and young people with severe ADHD.’

Barbara Sahakian, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at Cambridge University, said last night: ‘I have had psychiatrists tell me that sometimes they don’t feel that the child is sufficiently severe [enough] for requiring a drug treatment and they think psychological treatment might be sufficient.

‘But the parents are quite keen they should have a drug. Parents know these drugs are cognitive enhancing, so I guess they’re trying to get an advantage for the child.’

The comments below have not been moderated.

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I don't care what anyone else thinks but I found one of my children to be allergic to E numbers additives found in most food.I cooked everything from scratch from then on and all four of my children have good jobs. I was also a working single parent.

vonnie208
,

bradford,
29/6/2013 19:33

ADHD eh? Just another of the literally thousands of invented syndromes and disorders that prop up the profits of the pharmaceutical industry and produce a nice highly-paid "medical profession" for yet another bunch of over-educated wastes of space who, if they were not sheltering under the awning of medical privilege, be locked up for peddling addictive drugs to children. ADHD is just another acronym for DDD - AKA "Discipline Deficit Disorder", and once upon a time was treated - very cheaply and effectively - with a quick clip round the ear.

Catweazle
,

North Yorkshire,
29/6/2013 19:08

I'd rather a kid with get up n go than a little zombie.

DPT1
,

Borehamwood,
29/6/2013 18:46

Ritalin will help youngsters achieve higher grades (and uni students), so is it any wonder they are wanted. If you aren't very good at something a diagnosis is a good get out. In the 60s and 70s we never had this, so why now. What's changed?

rommel
,

Kapiti Coast,
29/6/2013 18:30

I should think a good smack and a bit of discipline would be more effective and a lot cheaper in the majority of cases. Throw in a decent parenting regime and financial punishment for offending parents and the problem would be cut by 99% overnight.

Brian
,

Lincoln, United Kingdom,
29/6/2013 18:16

The incidence of autism has jumped enormously in the last 50 years. One in sixty children now have it, compared to one in 3000 back in the fifties. When is the government going to do something about it. It's a national and personal catastrophe.

Magna Carta
,

Edinburgh, United Kingdom,
29/6/2013 18:07

It's easy to blame the parents - but how do you then explain two children, same parents, same upbringing etc who have one child that 'conforms' to expected type, and one that doesn't? If all parents of one ADHD child had all children suffering, maybe there's the problem. OR could it be that years of chemicals used in everything are now permeating into our childrens brains and affecting some of them? I have a friend who's son is extremely challenging - but her daughter is good as gold. She's at her wits end - and she's no weak parent.

extorynowukip
,

EUSSR, United Kingdom,
29/6/2013 17:21

This has nothing to do with ADHD and everything to do with bad parenting. I never saw anyone when I was at school that was out of control and required sedating. One look from a teacher was enough to put the fear of God into kids. These days it is all about appeasing and placating children and Ritalin is the result.

OLDCOMP
,

East Yorkshire,
29/6/2013 17:15

80% of these children would probably have a miraculous recovery if there was a pill to cure totally inadequate parenting.

jem
,

Bromsgrove,
29/6/2013 17:01

I strongly disagree with much of what you are saying..... I am 26 and was diagnosed with ADhD when I was 7. I was extremely hyperactive, couldn't concentrate on anything longer than 10 minutes, and did lots of physical exercise, swimming, dance, gym, tennis to name a few.... My parents lost all of their friends as they all saw me as an uncontrollable child, and they saw my parents as bad parents... My grandparents struggled to look after me. My younger brother was born, he too suffers from ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and Asperger's syndrome.

Without Ritalin, I could not have got through school. I was able myself to understand how it worked, and I in my teens with the help of my psychiatrist altered my dosage to ensure I had max concentration when I needed it most at school.

I think it is hugely unfair that you are stating that it is a parents fault. In some cases yes.... But largely I can say these meds help! I am not addicted I stopped taking them at 18 when I finished school!

Jenniem86
,

Bristol,
29/6/2013 16:44

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