Experts Warn: Rising Use of Mood-Altering Drugs in Children Could Harm Long-Term Well-Being

Experts in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin warn about the growing trend of prescribing psychotropic drugs to children and young people, highlighting the lack of solid evidence supporting this practice and the rising concerns about safety and efficacy.

The editorial emphasizes the need for safer prescribing practices, more robust research, and better involvement of families in treatment decisions to ensure these medications are used appropriately and discontinued when no longer necessary.

There’s limited evidence to back up the widespread and increasing rates of prescribing mood-altering drugs (psychotropics) as the mainstay of mental health treatment for children and young people, warn experts in an editorial, published today (July 29) in the August issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (dtb).