Abstract
The controversy concerning psychotropic drug use in children has waged over several decades. The recent trend in treatment has moved towards problem-orientated, eclectic and flexible approaches to disturbed children and their families, away from specific “pure” therapy models. Erstwhile over-use of medication in certain conditions, for example psycho-stimulants in hyperactive children in the USA (Werry et al (1980), has handicapped the development of paediatric psychopharmacology.
Highlights
There have been very few surveys of child psy chiatrist prescribing practice, and none which have acdaldlrye.ssQeudintnri'scycstluicdyan(ti1d9e8p6r)esosfanptres(TcrCipAti)onusepasptteecrnifsi of psychoactive medication in the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada, analysed all prescriptions to children and adolescents within this general cate gory
A short (9 question), questionnaire was pro duced, which enquired about the major aspects of antidepressant use by clinicians as well as their general attitudes towards the use of psychoactive medication in children and adolescents
Of the remaining 238, 89% stated that they used psychotropic medication in their clinical prac tice and 84% of the total used TCAs
Summary
There have been very few surveys of child psy chiatrist prescribing practice, and none which have acdaldlrye.ssQeudintnri'scycstluicdyan(ti1d9e8p6r)esosfanptres(TcrCipAti)onusepasptteecrnifsi of psychoactive medication in the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada, analysed all prescriptions to children and adolescents within this general cate gory He did not address the specific issue of who prescribed the drugs, rather concentrating on the differential prescription rates for the community by class of drug. Adams (1991), recently discovered high rates of prescription of psychotropic medication by both child psychiatrists and general practitioners to children and adolescents in her analysis of three months worth of prescription data She expressed concern that medication was being used by nonspecialists for conditions which could be better treated using non-pharmacological approaches. This survey aims to contribute towards the audit of this treatment modality in Britain as well as obtain ing information concerning prevailing attitudes of clinicians towards psychopharmacology in children and adolescents
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