Growing numbers of parents are turning to drug remedies for a ‘quick fix’ solution to their children’s mental disorders, figures show. Sami Timimi, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist in the NHS and visiting Professor at Lincoln University, said that, like fast food, the medical industry fed on ‘people’s desire for instant satisfaction and a quick fix’.

More children were taking medication to deal with emotional difficulties, anxiety, eating disorders and behavioural problems, with little evidence of improvements, he said. Prof Timimi cited a 2004 study in which researchers analysed prescriptions in nine countries over a two-year period. It found significant increases in drugs to deal with childhood mental health problems. The lowest rise was in Germany – 13 per cent – and the highest was the UK, with 68 per cent. Separate figures showed that in the UK, prescriptions for stimulants increased from about 6,000 in 1994 to over 450,000 by 2004.

The Daily Telegraph