Children prescribed up to seven different drugs, damning North Kerry Camhs report reveals

"A major review of North Kerry Camhs has found there was a risk of moderate or major harm in respect of more than half of the cases on the service's books in 2022. The shocking findings were made in respect of 197 out of 374 case files - a rate of 53pc - reviewed by a team of consultant psychiatrists, while risk of minor harm was identified in 12 further cases."

"79pc of service users were prescribed psychotropic medication, an unusually high rate. In comparison, a HSE national prescribing audit in 2023 came back with a rate of 39pc. Almost all children with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of autism were prescribed psychotropic drugs at the North Kerry service."

"Although clinical guidelines recommend "short term" use of Risperidone, the report indicates at least one service user was on it for 94 months, while the median usage time was 22 months. "Polypharmacy, the prescription of two or more drugs simultaneously, was also noted to be a concerning feature," the report said. A number of children with intellectual disabilities were found to have been on as many as seven different medications at the same time."

"One drug used was the anti-epileptic medication sodium valproate, which was prescribed to manage challenging behaviour and sleep difficulties in 42pc of cases involving intellectually disabled children. The drug is not licensed for the treatment of behavioural dysregulation and is not used by Camhs nationally."

197 of 374 case files (53%) in 2022 carried a risk of moderate or major harm, with a further 12 cases showing risk of minor harm. 79% of service users were prescribed psychotropic medication, compared with 39% nationally. Almost all children with confirmed or suspected autism received psychotropic drugs. Above-average prescribing of risperidone and guanfacine was recorded, with risperidone median use 22 months and at least one case of 94 months. Polypharmacy was common, with some children on up to seven medications. Sodium valproate was used in 42% of intellectually disabled cases for behaviour and sleep despite lacking a licence for behavioural dysregulation. Individual and family psychotherapeutic interventions were unusually infrequent.

Read at Irish Independent