Nursery World - Behaviour control drug soars

The number of children in England prescribed the controversial drug Ritalin more than doubled between 1997 and 2001, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats have shown. Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat social services spokesman, revealed that the prescription of Ritalin for the hyperactivity disorders ADD or ADHD rose 126 per cent from 921,000 prescriptions in 1997 to 2,085,000 in 2001. He said that according to the first official estimate, one in 20 children aged six to 16 - around 345,000 children - have been diagnosed as suffering from ADDor ADHD.

Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat social services spokesman, revealed that the prescription of Ritalin for the hyperactivity disorders ADD or ADHD rose 126 per cent from 921,000 prescriptions in 1997 to 2,085,000 in 2001. He said that according to the first official estimate, one in 20 children aged six to 16 - around 345,000 children - have been diagnosed as suffering from ADDor ADHD.

In a written question in the House of Commons, Mr Burstow asked what recent representations the health secretary had received regarding the inappropriate use of the prescription of Ritalin for children.

He was told by health minister Jacqui Smith that the Government had 'no record' of recent representations on this subject, and that methylphenidate, which goes by the brand name of Ritalin, was a controlled drug under Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act and licensed for the treatment of ADHD in children aged six or older. 'Treatment should be under the supervision of a specialist in childhood behavioural disorders,' Ms Smith added.

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