Lo and behold, the sharply increasing use of psychotropic medication on children is not just a phenomenon unique to the United States. As reported by the Telegraph, a similar trend has occurred across the pond in Great Britain:

Child use of antidepressants up four-fold

The use of antidepressants and other mind-altering drugs among schoolchildren has more than quadrupled in the last decade, it is revealed today.

New figures show that GPs are prescribing pills in record numbers to combat stress, violent behaviour and even tiredness.

Under-16s were given drugs for mental health problems more than 631,000 times last year, compared to just 146,000 in the mid-Nineties.

The huge increase has been blamed on a rise in childhood mental illness sparked by family breakdown and high-stakes school exams.

But there are fears that family doctors are coming under pressure to prescribe drugs such as Prozac as a “quick fix” solution, when counselling would be better.

Politicians and children’s charities last night branded the rise “very dangerous” and said a generation of young people risked becoming hooked on prescription drugs.

The findings come despite the publication of research showing that children given antidepressants run a higher risk of self-harm and are more likely to attempt suicide.

David Laws, the Liberal Democrat shadow children’s secretary, who obtained the figures in a Parliamentary Question, said: “We’ve gone from a period when it was almost unthinkable to prescribe drugs to a child to amend their behaviour to a time when it is quite the norm.

“In a sense, it shows some of the pressure many youngsters are under – their lives are chaotic and there isn’t as much stability at home. But instead of trying to treat the causes and create a more stable and supportive environment for young people, we think we can solve these problems by prescribing a pill.” [full text]

“Solve these problems by prescribing a pill”? Gee, wherever would physicians (and parents) get the idea to do that?

NOTE: Side effects of reading this article may include nausea, dizziness, depression, head shaking, and moral outrage.