A growing number of Japanese children are being prescribed psychotropic drugs to treat depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and schizophrenia, according to a study by government-funded medical institutes.
In particular, the number of ADHD drug prescriptions for patients aged between 13 and 18 years old surged 2.49 times between two three-year periods covering 2002-2004 and 2008-2010, despite some of them being unapproved for use among children, the study said.
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