Antidepressant prescribing in children and young people

Young people today are facing unprecedented pressure, challenges and worries, leading to an increased demand for children's mental health services, which are struggling to keep up with the demand (Sacco et al, 2022; NHS England, 2023a). In addition to socioeconomic disadvantage, bullying and worries about climate change (NHS England, 2023b), the autumn and start of the school year have been shown to coincide with an increased demand for mental health services for young people that is not seen in other age groups, or at other times of the year (Jack et al, 2023).

While most mental health disorders appear by age 14, the majority remain undiagnosed and untreated well into adulthood (Sacco et al, 2022). Some of the reasons for this include stigma around mental health that persists despite progress, difficulties among parents and teachers identifying signs of mental health issues, limited screening programmes and service availability, lengthy wait lists and a lack of access to services (Sacco et al, 2022).