Anti-depressants: WHO concern over use by children

A rise in the use of anti-depressant drugs among children is a concern, the World Health Organization has said.

A warning in 2004 brought a fall in use of the drugs, after fears that some could lead to suicidal behaviour.

But a new study shows that between 2005 and 2012 there was a 54% increase in the number of young people prescribed them in the UK.
It also showed rises in Denmark (60%), Germany (49%), the US (26%) and the Netherlands (17%) in the same period.

'Matter of concern'

World Health Organization (WHO) director of mental health Dr Shekhar Saxena said the research, published in the European Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, raises serious questions.

"Anti-depressant use amongst young people is and has been a matter of concern because of two reasons," he said. "One, are more people being prescribed anti-depressants without sufficient reason? And second, can anti-depressants do any major harm?"

Another concern for the WHO is the prevalence of off-label prescriptions, where children are given drugs which are not licensed for use by under-18s. Dr Saxena said: "These are medicines which have not been tried amongst young people, have no justification for being used widely in young people.

"There are legal regulations and professional guidelines and off-label use of drugs many times crosses both of them. That's something the World Health Organization is very concerned about."

Anti-depressants are a recognised treatment for managing depression in children but National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines state they should not be offered initially for symptoms of mild depression.

In more serious cases, anti-depressants are only meant to be used in conjunction with psychological therapies.