In the United Kingdom, children are increasingly receiving prescriptions for powerful psychiatric medicines like those used to treat delusions and hallucinations, a trend that has specialists concerned about the safety and appropriateness of the practice.
In the United Kingdom, children are increasingly receiving prescriptions for powerful psychiatric medicines like those used to treat delusions and hallucinations, a trend that has specialists concerned about the safety and appropriateness of the practice.
According to the findings of researchers from the University of Manchester who examined prescribing trends at selected general practices in England, the percentage of young people in England who are being prescribed antipsychotics has more than doubled over the past two decades, which raises concerns about the potential long-term effects of such medications. [Citation needed] These findings raise concerns about the potential long-term effects of such medications.
According to the researchers, even though the overall percentage is relatively low, the increasing use of antipsychotics is a cause for concern because the safety of these medications in children and adolescents has not been established. This is the case despite the fact that the overall percentage is relatively low. Antipsychotic medications such as haloperidol and chlorpromazine were among those that were recommended to the patient.
Matthias Pierce, a senior research fellow at the University of Manchester’s Centre for Women’s Mental Health and one of the authors of the study, stated that “we do not think the changes in prescribing necessarily relate to changes in clinical need.” [Citation needed] “We do not think the changes in prescribing necessarily relate to changes in clinical need.” It is possible that this finding is a reflection of shifts in the prescribing practices of practitioners.
Antipsychotic medications are frequently prescribed to adults for the treatment of mental disorders such as schizophrenia; nevertheless, these medications are associated with a number of potential adverse effects, including sexual dysfunction, infertility, and weight gain that can lead to diabetes.
There were 7.2 million children and adolescents who participated in the study, and the sample included both boys and girls. However, over the study period of 2000–2019, twice as many boys as girls were given antipsychotic medications. According to the findings of a study that was published in the Lancet Psychiatry, girls were found to be more likely to suffer from eating disorders, whereas males were shown to be more likely to suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.