Prescribing of drugs to treat ADHD children doubled in six years

January 31, 2006

The prescribing of drugs to treat children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has almost doubled over a six year period.

In 1998 there were around 220,000 prescriptions in England for drugs such as methylphenidate and dexamfetamine

By 2004 this had almost doubled to 418,300 prescriptions.

The figures were published today by The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (formerly the National Institute for Clinical Excellence) as it prepares to develop clinical guideline on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder for NHS professionals in England and Wales.

The institute also released today draft clinical guidelines for bipolar affective disorder which is out for consultation

Read for yourself:
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's draft scope for clinical guidelines on ADHD
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's draft clinical guidelines on bipolar affective disorder (pdf)

See also:
Profile:
Oct 5, 2005: 'ADHD is biobabble' - Psychiatrist Sami Timimi explains why he believes ADHD is a "cultural construct" and how he weans children off ADHD drugs. Plus, psychminded exclusively publishes a chapter, co-written by Timimi, from a new book, Making and Breaking Children's Lives.

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