The NewsGrowing numbers of children and adolescents are being prescribed multiple psychiatric drugs to take simultaneously, according to a new study in the state of Maryland.
In this group, there was a 9.5 percent increase in the prevalence of “polypharmacy,” which the study defined as taking three or more different classes of psychiatric medications, including antidepressants, mood-stabilizing anticonvulsants, sedatives and drugs for A.D.H.D.
Mental health experts said that psychotropic medications can prove very helpful and that doctors have discretion to prescribe what they see fit.
And it is unclear how the simultaneous use of multiple psychotropic medications affects brain development long-term.
The NumbersThe latest study looked at data from 126,972 people over the study period.
Organizations:
Medical, Survey
Locations:
Maryland, United States