With a huge increase in prescriptions, research reveals differences in mental health care by gender of the child and wealth of the family.
A Scottish health board has seen a 56% increase in mental health prescriptions for children since 2015, according to new research from the University of Aberdeen.
Prescriptions for antidepressants among children increased 59%, those for ADHD increased 45%, and those for psychosis and related disorders increased 35%.
A study published in BMC Psychiatry found that boys were more likely to receive mental health prescriptions than girls, and that the poor received more prescriptions than the wealthy.
A team in the university’s Networked Data Lab, in collaboration with The Health Foundation, NHS Grampian medical records for children from 2015 to 2021. They reported a total of 178,657 mental health prescriptions and her 21,874 referrals to specialty outpatient care for 18,732 children during that period.
Analysis showed that referrals to specialized outpatient child mental health services (CAMHS) has risen 11% since the start of the pandemic.However, the percentage of referrals CAMHS Rejected or redirected to treatment elsewhere has also increased from 17% to 30% of all referrals since 2020.
The study also found consistent differences in the mental health of boys and girls in both prescribing and referral to mental health services. Boys received 73% of her mental health prescriptions and received more prescriptions than girls in elementary school, primarily to treat her ADHD. Girls were often prescribed antidepressants in secondary school. Specifically, she had 1,200 mental health prescriptions among 10-year-old boys, while girls only had 300 of her. At the age of 17, 1,800 girls had prescriptions, while boys she only had 1,300.
Since the pandemic, girls have been referred to more mental health professionals than boys. Before the pandemic, boys and girls received equal numbers of referrals to specialized outpatient mental health services. Since 2020, girl referrals have increased by 25%, while boy referrals are down her 6%. The study also found differences in who accepted care. CAMHSInitially, boys and girls had similar pass rates, but by 2021 two-thirds of successful applicants were girls.
The team also found mental health differences related to poverty. Children living in disadvantaged areas needed more mental health care. Children living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods had twice as many prescriptions for mental health medications as compared to children living in wealthier neighborhoods. They were also twice as likely to be referred to specialized mental health services as she was and were referred at a younger age.
Dr. William Ball, a research fellow in the University’s Network Data Lab, explains: The pandemic seems to have exacerbated this problem.
“The significant increase in mental health prescriptions and changes in referrals to specialty outpatient clinics is consistent with emerging evidence of worsening mental health conditions, especially since the start of the pandemic.
“Our analysis shows that the prevalence of poor mental health affects groups of people differently based on age, gender and socioeconomic status. are in particular need of assistance.
“Persistent and avoidable inequities in mental health prescribing and referrals require urgent action.
Charles Tallack, director of data analytics at the Health Foundation, added: Rapid growth in prescriptions across the UK. Children and young people need mental health support more than ever, but data gaps mean that we know very little about where services are most needed.
“Although we already know that the prevalence of mental health problems varies by gender, age, and socioeconomic deprivation, data on who receives support are not widely available, and currently we cannot estimate the variation due to these characteristics. Not detailed enough to show. High-quality data and analysis play an important role in targeting preventive interventions, better planning of services, and ultimately improving mental health in children and young people. It is imperative that we support communities to make better use of data to inform decision-making.”
Dr. Jessica Butler, who leads the Grampian’s network data lab project, adds: NHS As such, it can be difficult to get a clear picture of your mental health needs.
“Our goal is GP Care down to hospital support to understand how children are doing post-pandemic. The results show that there is a large gap. General practitioners are issuing more mental health prescriptions, but there are limits to who hospital professionals can see.
“This research shows that different children have different ways of bridging that gap and improving their mental health. Like children living in poverty, boys and girls need different care. I might.
“Ideally, this research could be used to prevent mental health deterioration before children need professional services.”
