@article{ref1,
title="Trends in antipsychotic prescribing in children and adolescents: more is not necessarily better",
journal="Lancet psychiatry",
year="2023",
author="Ratheesh, Aswin and McGorry, Patrick",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
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...<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2215-0374",
doi="10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00003-2",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00003-2"
}