The increase in the usage of antidepressants among children is "worrying," reported the World Health Organization (WHO). According to a BBC article, the study published in the European Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology said that the use of antidepressants among children has increased considerably.
The study revealed that there was a 54 percent increase in the number of young people using antidepressants in the U.K. between 2005 and 2012. The numbers have also risen in Denmark by 60 percent, Germany by 49 percent, the U.S. by 26 percent and the Netherlands by 17 percent within the same period. Shekhar Saxena, the mental health director at WHO, commented on the research by saying that the results are "concerning." Saxena drew attention to the possibility of doctors prescribing antidepressants to children and the damages caused by the use of antidepressants.
She also underscored WHO's concern that children might be given drugs without any prescription as they are not licensed for use by anybody under 18 years old. Saxena said, "These are medicines which have not been tried amongst young people, and have no justification for being used widely in young people."
