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Children with ADHD given medication in place of support

This news post is almost 6 years old
 

Parents are being too often fobbed off with medication instead of psychological support says report

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are being offered medication as the only option to manage the condition.

Research found evidence of delays in diagnosing the condition as well as inadequate support afterwards.

Campaign group the Scottish ADHD Coalition also said there is poor training of school staff.

Some 5% of schoolchildren in the UK are diagnosed with ADHD.

But only 1% of children are known to have the condition in Scotland with campaigners believing it is under-diagnosed.

The Scottish ADHD Coalition said the results of its recent survey of parents raised concerns about an over-reliance on medication in treating the condition.

Geraldine Mynors, the coalition's chairwoman, said: "The voices of parents coming through this survey are very clear: there is an over-reliance on medication as the only treatment available to manage ADHD.

"Excellent parent training programmes such as Parents Inc, developed by NHS Fife, are all too rarely available to give parents the long-term skills that they need."

As part of the research some parents told the coalition that when they refused medication for their child, support services quickly discharged them, making it harder for them to obtain further support.

And the report found a perception among parents that they weren't getting access to support for learning staff because of staff and funding cuts in schools.

Lorna Redford, a trustee of the coalition, said: "The survey findings reflect what we hear from parents all the time.

"It is imperative that school staff are recruited in sufficient numbers and trained about ADHD to ensure our children and young people receive the same educational opportunities as their non-ADHD peers.

"This modest and realistic target would reap huge rewards in the mental health, quality of life and societal outcomes for sufferers."

Mental health minister Maureen Watt said: "Drugs for ADHD are routinely prescribed in line with good clinical practice, including on-going supervision by health professionals to ensure patients only remain on them as long as appropriate.

"They are often used alongside treatments such as counselling or psychological therapies provided locally."