by Press Releases, educationviews.org, 20 October 2015
While the recent New York Times article, “Thousands of Toddlers Are Medicated for A.D.H.D., Report Finds, Raising Worries,” seems shocking, the actual numbers of infants and toddlers being prescribed psychiatric drugs dwarfs the 10,000 2-3 year olds being prescribed ADHD drugs.[1] The mental health watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) says according to data provided by IMS Health, the world’s leading health information and analytics company, hundreds of thousands of toddlers are being prescribed far more powerful psychiatric drugs than just ADHD drugs, and most alarming of all is the more than 274,000 0-1 year olds prescribed psychiatric drugs.[2]
According to IMS Health’s Vector One: National and Total Patient Tracker Database for 2013 these are the figures for 0-1 year olds being prescribed psychiatric drugs:
- 249,669 0-1 year olds are on anti-anxiety drugs (such as Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan).
- 26,406 0-1 year olds are on antidepressants (such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil).
- There are 1,422 0-1 year olds taking ADHD drugs (such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta).
- 654 0-1 year olds are taking antipsychotics (such as Risperdal, Seroquel, and Zyprexa).
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- 26,406 0-1 year olds are on antidepressants (such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil).
- There are 1,422 0-1 year olds taking ADHD drugs (such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta).
- 654 0-1 year olds are taking antipsychotics (such as Risperdal, Seroquel, and Zyprexa).