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Citation |
Ratheesh A, McGorry P. Lancet Psychiatry 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
36638817 |
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Abstract |
Monitoring trends in prescriptions remains a vital tool in improving rational and safe use of medications in the community. In The Lancet Psychiatry, Maja R Radojčić and colleagues examined such trends for antipsychotics, in a large general practitioner (GP) database in England, and identified a doubling in the prevalence of antipsychotic prescriptions for children and adolescents aged 3-18 years (3 480 730 [48·2%] girls and 3 736 061 [51·8%] boys; mean age at the start of follow-up 7·3 years [SD 4·9]), from 0·057% (95% CI 0·052-0·063%) in 2000 to 0·105% (0·100-0·111%) in 2019. Their finding is of substantial public health significance even if only roughly 0·1% of all young people attending a GP practice receive such prescriptions, given the associated risks. Metabolic complications are a concern in a majority of children and adolescents who use these medications, and tardive dyskinesia and intentional overdose are rarer but also serious concerns. The authors identified a particular increase in prescriptions for adolescents and among girls. This finding parallels international evidence indicating worsening mental health status among these subgroups, even before the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic... Language: en |