GPs gave 15,000 children as young as five chemical cosh

Soaring numbers of children as young as five are being chemically coshed with antipsychotic drugs, an investigation by Channel 4 News has found.


A staggering 15,000 children under the age of 18 were prescribed the medication last year by their GPs – double the number a decade ago.


The drugs, such as Risperdal and Seroquel, are meant for serious mental conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis.

But experts believe they are increasingly used as a chemical cosh to control children's behaviour, for example to calm youngsters with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism.    More