Antidepressant prescriptions to children aged 15 and under has increased by more than 130 per cent over the past decade, according to new figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The figures have prompted concerns from representatives in the sector, who have said there is a “growing crisis” in being able to meet the needs of children and young people seeking help
Figures obtained by The Irish Times show that a total of 6,541 prescriptions for antidepressants were issued for children aged 0 to 15 years old in 2012. This figure has risen significantly since then, reaching 15,113 in 2022.
The increase is most pronounced in teenagers aged 12 to 15 years old, who saw a 150 per cent rise in the number of prescriptions issued, from 4,454 in 2012 to 12,801 in 2022.
The increase among 0 to 11 year olds was much smaller at 10.7 per cent, rising from 2,087 to 2,312 across that time period.
The gender divide of children under 15 being prescribed antidepressants was almost equally split between boys and girls.
Overall, across all age groups, there was a 35 per cent rise in prescriptions for antidepressants between 2012 and 2022, rising from 2,817,201 to 3,828,149.
Mike Mansfield, director of communications and fundraising at Jigsaw youth mental health charity, said the mental health services for young people is “in a very tricky spot at the moment”.
“Parents have very limited options because they’re hearing that Camhs [Child and Adult Mental Health Services] is in a bad state so that’s kind of not an option for many of them. The first port of call is they go to a GP, and the GP, depending on where they are, their hands can be tied,” Mr Mansfield said.
“They think there is no point directing my client to Camhs because it’s going to be 18 months to two years. There mightn’t be a service like Jigsaw in the area. So often the only option is the prescription pad.”
Sources working in general practice said doctors feel, a lot of the time, the only option available to them when treating young is a prescription.
Fiona Coyne, chief executive of Mental Health Reform, the coalition of organisations campaigning for changes to the mental health system, said there are “many young people” waiting to access services.
“We have to look at that whole array of supports that we are giving to young people to ensure that people are getting the support at the earliest possible juncture and to avoid medication is possible,” she said.
Prof Elizabeth Barrett, a liaison psychiatrist in the Child and Adult Mental Health Services in Dublin, and member of the Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association (IHCA), outlined a number of difficulties in meeting demand for services.
“More children are presenting to emergency departments, more children are being referred to services, but the amount of staffing and resources hasn’t proportionally increased in line with that,” Prof Barrett said.
“It’s like if there’s a great elastic band, and it’s being stretched more and more, at a certain point the elastic band can’t keep stretching and ultimately the elastic band is going to break. I think, to a certain extent, that is where things are at the moment.”
A spokesman for the HSE antidepressants can be an “important part of the overall treatment response for some children and young people”.
“However, a wider range of non-medication mental health supports and interventions are already available and more are in development on an ongoing basis across the HSE and through partner organisations in the community and voluntary sector,” he said.
“Camhs is a specialist clinical service for people under 18 with moderate to severe mental health difficulties. Only a small percentage of children and young people will, due to the complexity of their needs, require support from Camhs.”
