(UK) Scotland: Primary pupils OVERMEDICATED "to control their behavior"

Oct 2, 2017, Herald Scotland: GROWING numbers of young children face being “parked” on readily available drugs http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15569565.Generation_medication_for_thousands_of_primary_age_children/ GROWING numbers of primary school pupils risk being “parked” on over-the-counter drugs to control their behaviour with new figures revealing that almost twice as many under-tens are prescribed stimulants today than in 2010. The use of drugs such as Ritalin to cope with the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is mushrooming prompting some experts to question whether children in Scotland are being over-medicated. This week The Herald launches a major new investigative series, A Bitter Pill, which questions whether - as a society - our biggest drugs problem might just be that we think pharmaceutical drugs solve all our problems. … New NHS figures show just 1,265 under tens were given stimulants such as Ritalin in 2009/10 for ADHD compared to 2,166 in 2015/16 - a rise of 71.2 per cent. Over the same period the total cost to the NHS of all drugs used to treat ADHD has risen from £1.8 million to £5.7m. … "Parents across Scotland will want answers from the Scottish Governmentas to why there has been such an increase in the number of young children receiving prescription medication for ADHD and for reassurances that a lack of appropriate therapy options, or delays in accessing these, is not leading to a situation where families are having to resort to medication for children as young as five….