National Health Service in Scotland prescribed antidepressants for 1-year-old

Saturday, August 27, 2016 by: Vicki Batts
Tags: antidepressants, psychiatric drugs, children

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(NaturalNews) Even doctors across the pond are giving out antidepressants like candy. Shocking figures reveal that the youngest patient to receive antidepressants at NHS Tayside doctors' behest was a 1-year-old little boy.

Between the months of January and May of 2016, the NHS Tayside Trust reportedly prescribed antidepressants to at least 450 children. Health bosses say that the youngest person prescribed these drugs during this period of time was a whopping 7-years old, but back in 2014, a boy who was just a year old was given these mind-altering drugs.

The Trust later revealed that as many as four 1-year-old children were prescribed antidepressants in 2014 alone. They also claimed that antidepressants can be prescribed to help children overcome chronic pain and bedwetting. Apparently, 1-year-old infants are now expected to be able to hold it overnight and are able to verbalize what chronic pain feels like.

Though teens between the ages of 14 and 17 are the most likely age group to be prescribed antidepressants, the incidence of younger and younger children being given these drugs also continues to climb. The Daily Mail reports that since 2005, the number of teens prescribed antidepressant drugs has increased by a shocking 54 percent. FightForKids.org reports that here in the U.S., children under the age of 5 are the fastest growing group of non-adults being prescribed antidepressant medications. Of the 17 million children who are prescribed any one of the many psychiatric drugs available today, 10 million reside in the United States.

There have been many concerns expressed about the use of these and other stimulant drugs in children. Multiple regulatory agencies from Europe, Australia and even right here in the U.S. have issued warnings about the use of these heavy-handed medications. Antidepressants are known to cause suicides, suicidal thoughts and hostility in young children and teenagers. Stimulant drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta have also been found to cause suicides and violent, aggressive or psychotic behavior in kids. These same drugs can also have catastrophic physical effects such as heart attacks and strokes, and can even lead to sudden death.

Fight For Kids reports that children as young as four have attempted suicide, and that children as young as five have committed suicide, while taking an antidepressant. The organization also states: "Between 1995 and 1999, antidepressant use increased 580% in the under 6 population and 151% in the 7-12 age group." Twelve years ago, in 2004, the FDA ordered that a "black box" label be placed on antidepressants to warn parents that these drugs can cause suicide in children and adolescents. What this warning label fails to do, however, is notify parents that their child's doctor cannot predict whether or not this will happen.

One of the primary reasons these medications are so heavily prescribed for children is because parents trust doctors to suggest what is best for their children – but not every doctor is actually doing that. Many doctors are doing what is best for their bank accounts, not for their patients.

According to Fight For Kids, the vast majority of parents are not being informed of the potential risks of these medications when they agree to a psychiatric drug prescription. They are not being told that there is no blood or urine test that can be conducted to determine the cause of a mental disorder, and that the drugs they are being prescribed are not a cure. Psychiatric drug prescription is really a guessing game, at best.

The sad part is that parents who agree to this line of treatment truly believe that they are doing what is best for their children, and it is outrageous that doctors take advantage of the trust that parents implicitly place in them to take care of their kids.

Sources:

DailyMail.co.uk

FightForKids.org

Science.NaturalNews.com