U.S. Kids 6 Times More Likely To Take Anti-Psychotic Drugs Than In UK

Boston (dbTechno) - According to a new study, children in the U.S. are six times more likely to be given anti-psychotic medication compared to kids in the UK. One alarming fact though is that the use of these anti-psychotic drugs is increasing in both areas.

Anti-psychotic drugs are often used in children to help with the treatment of both autism as well as hyperactivity.

A new study has found that in the U.S., 45 out of every 10,000 American children were given doses of these drugs. This compared to only seven out of every 10,000 in the UK.

This is a huge increase from the past reports. In 1992, the rate in the UK was less than four per 10,000 children. The U.S. saw a big increase as well as the number in 1996 was 23 per 10,000 children.

The study was carried out in the UK at the University of London’s pharmacy school and looked at the health records of over 16,000 children. This is the first major study to look at the use of anti-psychotic drugs in UK kids.

They found that the majority of the anti-psychotic drugs used in kids in the UK, have yet to even be approved for use by children.

Side effects of these drugs are widespread including weight gain, heart problems, as well as problems with their nervous system.

The authors of the study are questioning whether or not the kids are being given the best possible treatment, and the right drugs for them.

The study is being released on Monday in the May edition of the journal Pediatrics.