New research published this week shows that between 2005 and 2013 there was a 54% increase in the number of children and young people prescribed antidepressants in the UK. The World Health Organisation’s director of mental health, Dr Shekhar Saxena, has expressed concern about the reasons behind this rise.
Antidepressants are not licensed for prescription for under-18s, with one exception. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines state that fluoxetine, a type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, can be used in under-18s, but should not be prescribed without first referring the child for talking therapy. The two treatments should coexist and the child should be monitored carefully, particularly in the first few weeks after starting the drug, when the risk of the “major harm” Saxena speaks of is at its highest.
Full story in The Guardian 11 March 2016