One in thirteen kids in US now on psychiatric medications with boys at almost twice the rate of girls

Article here. Excerpt:

'A report released earlier this month suggests that prescription drugs for emotional or behavioral problems may be unevenly prescribed to children in the U.S., with gender, age, race, and family income possibly playing a role in the issue. The National Center for Health Statistics finds that 7.5 percent — or one in every 13 kids overall — between the ages of 6 and 17 had been prescribed and were taking pills for emotional or behavioral difficulties during the statistical period studied (six months in 2011-2012). The authors of the report did not identify the diagnoses of the children taking medication, yet LaJeana Howie, a statistical research scientist and one of the authors of the report, told MSN that 81 percent of the children had received a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at some point in their lives. The report also neglected to estimate prescriptions written versus use of drugs.

Yet a higher percentage of boys (9.7 percent) used psych meds compared with girls (5.2 percent) during that period. Age mattered more for the girls, less for the boys. For instance, 6.3 percent of girls between 12 and 17 were on medication, while only four percent of those under the age of 11 also swallowed a daily pill. While the statistics for boys also showed the highest percentage of use among those older than 12, the differences between older and younger boys was not as extreme when compared to the girls. About 10.2 percent of boys older than 12 had been prescribed and used psych meds compared with 9.2 percent among those younger than 11.'