'Kids often get too many antidepressants'

-

GRONINGEN (Reuters)- Doctors adhere poorly to guide the prescription of antidepressants to children and teenagers with depression. According to a study published Friday by the Department of Psychiatry at the University Medical Center Groningen and the Pharmacy Department of the University of Groningen.

According to the researchers receive less than one in five young people at the start of the medications prescribed the right medicine. The prescribed dose is often higher than recommended. As was more than half of the surveyed teens prescribed initial dose of an adult.

In the Netherlands, use about 10 000 young people under eighteen antidepressants. According to the directive medication should only be prescribed to adolescents suffering from severe depression.