French children consume too many psychotropics. This is the conclusion of a report from the Superior Council for Family, Childhood and Age (HCFEA) revealed by the parisian, which must be made public on Monday, and which points to the too frequent use and in inadequate proportions of psychotropic drugs, anxiolytics or even antidepressants in minors. This use has doubled in ten years and is partly related to an increase in the diagnosis of mental disorders.
In France, at least 2.7% of those under the age of 20 consume this type of drug that acts on brain activity and behavior, according to data from Health Insurance and the Medicines Safety Agency (Anses), which represents to more than 400,000 people. This part refers to young people who regularly take “hypnotic or anxiolytic” type treatments, to which other types of medication can be added.
“These levels of increase are disproportionate (from 2 to 20 times higher) with those observed at the general population level,” the report states.
More than 150% increase in certain drugs
The consumption of all these treatments among those under 20 years of age has increased significantly in less than 10 years, and especially in the few years of the pandemic, with use increasing by almost 50% for antipsychotics and up to more than 150% for antipsychotics. hypnotics and sedatives. An increase that contrasts with the attendance of the medical-psychopedagogical centers (CMPP), which was divided by three between 2016 and 2019.
Sylviane Giampino, president of HCFEA, explains to the Parisian that the report does not question “the usefulness of these drugs or their prescription”, but rather proposes a “rebalancing” with other forms of care, particularly in a specialized center. The latter, in effect, promote non-pharmacological treatments with the aim of attacking the causes of disorders and not just their symptoms, which is the prerogative of drugs.
“The pediatric, child psychiatric and medical-social supply is in decline and no longer allows children and families to be accommodated in a reasonable time (waiting times from 6 to 18 months)”, laments the Higher Council in its report.
However, this situation entails a “worsening of the health status of children”, an “increase in emergency hospitalizations, suicidal acts and suicides in children and adolescents”. And “the lack of adequate care, the use of the single prescription of psychotropic drugs.”
adult products
Another problem: These treatments are generally intended for adults, but doctors prescribe them en masse for children despite the lack of marketing authorizations. “They often have significant side effects and are sometimes not very suitable for the child’s brain,” explains the Parisian Marie-Rose Moro, child psychiatrist and author of a 2019 report.
Despite these undesirable effects, pharmacological solutions can be means of promoting children’s return to school or the possibility of participating in group activities.
Source: BFM TV
