Over 37,000 anti-depressant prescriptions issued to under-18s in nine-month period
Michael Bolton
Over 37,000 prescriptions for anti-depressants were issued to people under 18 for the first nine months of 2024.
Figures from the HSE show there were 37,944 prescriptions issued for people under 18 years old between January and September 2024.
The majority of the prescriptions fell under the General Medical Service (GMS) scheme, with 28,802 people accessing medication under this service.
Under the Drugs Payment scheme (DPS), where you and your family only have to pay a maximum of €80 each month for approved prescribed drugs and medicines, there were 7,366 people.
There were 1,776 prescriptions under the Long-Term Illness (LTI) Scheme. This allows people to get some drugs, medicine and medical applications for free.
In all of 2023, there were 36,578 prescriptions for people under the age of 18 for anti-depression medication.
The Department of Health said in a statement: "International guidelines support the use of pharmacological (medication) treatment as an important and evidenced-based intervention for young people with moderate to severe mental illness. Medication is rarely used alone and, in combination with psychological and social treatments, remains important in helping a young person to recover.
"However, following the concerns raised by the findings of the ‘Maskey Report’, which highlighted that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) care in South Kerry did not meet adequate standards in the areas of care planning, diagnostic accuracy and medication prescribing, Minister Butler asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to conduct a national review of medication prescribing in CAMHS to determine if this was isolated to one area or indicative of widespread practice.
"This, first-ever, national audit of prescribing in CAMHS covered prescribing across all the 75 CAMHS teams and had universal cooperation from these teams. The audit examined the period from July – December 2021 and included all mental disorders treated within CAMHS."
The Department said less than 50 per cent of children attending CAMHS were prescribed medication.
95 per cent of cases audited had a consultant involved in prescribing, while 98 per cent had a follow-up appointment plan documented.
The total allocation for mental health services for 2025 is almost €1.5 billion, a record funding level. Mental health service funding has increased by over 44 per cent since 2020.
