#overmedication

#overmedication

The review also found that 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. Above average prescribing of antipsychotic medication Risperidone and ADHD medication guanfacine was also found. Both have significant side effects, in particular weight gain and sedation.

Are we overmedicating our children? My answer is yes. But not for the reason most people assume. The overmedication of children is not a story about reckless doctors or careless parents. It is not an argument against psychiatric medication. I prescribe medications to children and adolescents regularly, and I have seen them reduce suffering and save lives. The real problem lies elsewhere: