23 July 2007
Dear Sir,
The figures you published yesterday showing a massive increase in the use of anti-depressants by children certainly make for grim reading, but they are, sadly, unsurprising (Child use of antidepressants up four fold, 23 July 2007).
Our children are under mental and emotional pressure as never before. Family breakdown, bullying, exams: all these are factors that can be detrimental to a child’s wellbeing, yet they are all everyday parts of the lives of many children. At the same time, the sedentary and socially isolated lifestyles they lead are leaving them less resilient than earlier generations, and more vulnerable to mental ill-health.
Children that need specialised intervention must not be dumped on overworked GPs who are often forced to reach for the prescription pad for lack of options. The Government must take steps to support parents, teachers and the wider community to bring up happy and healthy children. The alternative is to accept a continued perceived epidemic of childhood mental health problems and the consequent long-term suffering which will follow.
Kathryn Hill
Director of Mental Health Programmes
Mental Health Foundation
Return to Letters 2007
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