Psychotropic prescribing practices of paediatricians in the UK

Objective This study examines the prescribing practices and attitudes to ps ychotropic medication by paediatricians in the UK. Design Questionnaires were sent to 100 randomly chosen paediatricians in th e UK to assess their prescribing practices of psychotropic medication in ch ildren. Results Paediatricians see and treat many children with a wide variety of p sychotropic medications on a regular basis. However, few of them feel compe tent, and most requested regular psychopharmacology seminars. Conclusions In the US, primary care physicians and paediatricians are recog nized as primarily responsible for the continuing increase in psychotropic prescriptions in children. This study shows that, in the UK, paediatricians also contribute to such prescribing and need to be taken into account when estimating the prevalence and appropriateness of such medication use in ch ildren.