Antipsychotic Use Among UK Kids Keeps Rising
18 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // April 7th, 2008 // 4:07 pm
Over the past several months, there has been a steady trickle of reports emanating from around the US that indicate antipsychotics have been prescribed to children, even when appropriate regulatory approval has been lacking. Now, a forthcoming study suggests the same trend has been occurring in the UK, The Guardian reports.
The number of children on the drugs has doubled since the early 1990s, according to the first comprehensive analysis, which was conducted by Ian Wong, a professor of pediatric medicines research at the London School of Pharmacy. His analysis, which will be published next month in Pediatrics, shows that between 1992 and 2005, 3,000 UK children were given antipsychotics, the paper writes.
Moreover, twice as many scrips were written for children in 2005 as in 1992, with the biggest increase in the 7-to-12 age group, where the number of antipsychotics prescribed tripled. The largest category of use was in cases of behavioral and personality disorders, including bipolar disorder (manic depression), autism and hyperactivity.
Wong says children on antipsychotics are more likely to die earlier - something which may not be caused by the drug but which gives cause for concern. “The mortality rate is much higher. It could be some underlying problem of the brain. It doesn’t show the drug is causing any deaths, but there is this inequality,” he tells The Guardian. He adds, however, that some children had underlying, incurable conditions such as AIDS, so it is hard to establish whether the drugs played any part in those deaths.
Lisa Van S
According to the Guardian,.. 2.5 Million U.S. Children are on Antipsychotics. I believe that, that, number is low,.. but wow, Industry is reaping billions at the expense of our most vulnerable population,..our children
Atlex
Lisa, I am extremely skeptical of your statement that more than 2.5M children in the US are on antipsychotics. However, if you are able to provide a 1st hand source of this information (meaning actual data from a source that measures such numbers not a newspaper), I’d be willing to reconsider.
Atlex
Lisa, to satisfy my skepticism I checked some real sources and they suggest that there a roughly 75M children (<18 yo) in the US (US Census Bureau). An analysis of IMS data suggests that roughly 6.6 out of 1000 children are on antipsychotics. Simple math suggest that there are roughly 500K children on antipsychotics. I’d be the first to suggest that 500K is too high and the number should be substantially lower (I’d argue that there are some older teens who may be appropriately prescribed these drugs). Hyperbole only undercuts your argument.
Sam
The 2.5 Million U.S. children on antipsychotics came from this article in The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/07/mentalhealth.health
“… David Healy, an expert on bipolar disorder, said there were now 2.5 million American children on antipsychotics. …”
truthman30
The Anti-psychotics are the “new SSRI’s” ..
They have already bastardized depression and anxiety to death (literally)
So now the psychiatric-pharmaceutical agenda wants to push-anti psychotics on everyone..
What an absolute disgrace..
I know a guy who was 19 when he was diagnosed by a psych as being psychotic, he wasn’t at all, he was merely a confused young man with a lot of angst, felt he didn’t fit in and is very creative and artistic..
He didn’t fit his parents ideal of what they expected him to be..
So the psychiatric doctor( if you could call the that?) prescribed him Risperdal I’ve since seen his nervous system deteriorate rapidly ..
Psychiatrists should be ashamed of themselves..
Lisa Van S
Atlex,
I have to respectfully disagree. NJ Medicaid Data shows 39,517 children in Foster Care received a psychtropic drug,.. over 98% of those children were prescribed an antipsychotic! We have been collecting medicaid data from every State in America. THE NUMBERS ARE FRIGHTENING!!! We are talking about “Infants and Toddlers” Please excuse my language, but what the Hell,.. are we doing to our Nation’s Children?
Lisa Van S
Atlex,
If we combine IMS and Medicaid Data,.. I believe the number may be greater than 2.5 million,..being as 80% of Antypsychotic Medications prescribed to children, are paid through medicaid. “Our Tax Dollars” I am not at all comfortable with that,..are you?
Atlex
Lisa,
IMS does incude Medicaid data because the data comes from retail sources and most Medicaid scripts are filled at retail, particularly among children. Your response stll didn’t provide a good reference for the NJ number. I believe the part about 39K kids in NJ in foster homes; however, I haven’t seen a valid reference for the 98% figure. And, as you have read in my previous post, the level of prescribing in children does concern me. 500K, while significantly smaller than 2.5M is still far too high. For those of us that like to see validated data, your citation of nonvalidated data lessens your credibility.
I hope you accept this as legitimate criticism and not as a personal attack.
Aflect
If you guessed Pfizer - you would be wrong.
Lisa Van S
Atlex,
I have known Dr. David Healy for more than 4 years, A man, who I have deep respect for. He is not an individual that would pull a number out of his hat, and Sarah Boseley, Health Editor to the Guardian, takes great pride in the accuracy of her reporting. I have e-mailed Dr. Healy requesting documentation.
The validated data is now in the hands of NJ State Legislators. I have no conflict of interest here,.. so,.. unlike others,.. I have no need to lie!!!
Atlex
Lisa, I understand your position and appreciate the fact that you are seeking validated data. I look forward to seeing what turns up. I did do a quick search of the professional literature and quickly found that in Massachusetts roughly 5% to 9% of children in the state’s care are on antipsychotics and 30%+ are on behavioral drugs of some sort. The link below will take you to a powerpoint presentation of the study.
http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcconference/handouts/pdf/20/Session%2034/straus.pdf
Lisa Van S
Atlex,
My public e-mail address is lvansyckel61@yahoo.com
I will be more than happy, to provide you with the NJ Medicaid data, and then you can tell me what you think.
I respect and honor confidentiality.
Lisa Van S
NJ Medicaid Record: Psychotropics given to NJ Foster children, and the names of Physicians who prescribed to Infants and Toddlers
SEE HERE
http://www.psychdrugdangers.com/NJ/NJMedicaidoct2006.html
donna
You Go Girl……….exhausting as it is the sqeaky get’s heard………
pg
“If we combine IMS and Medicaid Data,.. I believe the number may be greater than 2.5 million”
Lisa, if the following link is anything to go on, then I think Dr Healy MAY have been quoting from a 2006 study and, if so, I too believe that the number is likely to have risen in 2007, so would be greater than 2.5 million now.
http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/112/28
It says that the Associated Press reports that a newly released study by Dr. William Cooper of Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital found that two and half million children in the U.S. are being prescribed antipsychotics annually.
There’s also the numbers on 2 antipsychotics given to children on Medicaid in New York, though I don’t is the figures are accurate.
http://disgustedwiththesystem.blogspot.com/2008/02/medicaid-kids-in-psych-rx-urge.html
Risperdal was given to 17,393 New York Medicaid kids in 2006
Zyprexa was prescribed to 2,647 New York Medicaid kids in 2006.
Joanne Cali
A few decades ago, children were managing without these drugs. I find it hard to believe that suddenly so many kids need labelling normal behaviors as “disorders”, and then drugging them. I think when you subdue the liveliness of a child, you detract from his life - and his longevity. Side effects of using these meds on kids (who are “hyperactive”) include stunting skull growth, enlarging the heart, and the uninhibiting of violence on self or others. One thing we can say for sure is that those who have committed massacres at schools - the vast majority having been on them at the time - were obviously Not cured by them. That’s the best one can say. The worst is that the drugs themselves cause this to occur (incidents which have never in history occurred before in schools). I read a study in a book on Prosac, that found SSRIs to deplete REM sleep, and sometimes cause those deprived act awake, but actually be asleep (proven by brain scans). Thus a person on these drugs for an extended time could possibly act out their nightmares; because the SSRIs also were found to remove the normal paralysis we experience during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) dream sleep. These school massacres could be instances of this occurring.
Lisa Van S
pg,
Im aware of the NY numbers, Susan Edelman of the NY post wrote a story on it. Ed had posted the story here on Pharmalot.
Dr. Hans J. Kugler, PhD
Back to basics - - - again!
Over the past years numerous speakers at the annual meetings of ACSM (Am. Coll. Sports Med.) have shown that a basic exercise program is the best antidepressant and antipsychotic.
Add quality nutrition - - with major points not skipping meals and avoiding excess sugars (mostly sugary sodas) - - and you have won the battle.
Anybody truly concerned about children’s health should work hard on bringing this message to the people at large. - -
- and then, if anybody brings up the “drugs as antidepressants and antipsychotics”, just tell them to ask a pharmacist for the drug sheet and read the possible side-effect. That always makes them think.
Please read “OVERDO$ED AMERICA” by John Abramson, MD.