North West London Study Reveals Disparities in Psychotropic Drug Prescriptions for Children
A new population-based study of nearly 763,000 children and young people (CYP) in North West London has revealed critically important variations in the prescription rates of SSRIs and ADHD medications linked to sociodemographic factors and geographical location. The findings, published [publication details not provided in source], highlight potential mental health inequalities and underscore the need for more comprehensive data collection to address these disparities.
The study, analyzing prescription data from 2020-2022, found that 2.20% of CYP were prescribed an SSRI (95% CI 2.17% to 2.24%) and 0.50% an ADHD medication (95% CI 0.49% to 0.52%). notably, higher socioeconomic deprivation correlated wiht increased SSRI prescriptions (2.5% in the most deprived areas), while lower deprivation was associated with higher ADHD medication prescriptions (0.70%). This pattern wasn’t consistent across all London boroughs, and sociodemographic factors explained limited variation in prescription rates – 18% for SSRIs and 6% for ADHD medications (Pseudo R2 0.18 and 0.06 respectively).
Researchers examined associations between prescription rates and factors including age, gender, geographical area (local authority), ethnicity, and socioeconomic deprivation, measured using the Index of Multiple Deprivation. The divergent prescribing patterns observed suggest that access to, or appropriateness of, mental health services may differ based on where a child lives and their socioeconomic background.
The study concludes that these variations could exacerbate existing mental health inequalities. Researchers advocate for expanded use of linked electronic health records, specifically including data on mental health diagnoses and service utilization, to better understand the relationship between diagnosis and treatment over time and to effectively monitor and address these inequities.
Keywords: Attention Deficit disorder with Hyperactivity; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Electronic Health Records; Health Equity; MENTAL HEALTH; Prescriptions.