BEHAVIOUR DRUGS FOR CHILDREN 'UBIQUITOUS'

Canadian children are being widely prescribed antipsychotic drugs for behaviour and mood problems, with a significant proportion of the powerful drugs going to children under the age of nine, new research shows.

Ninety-four per cent of 176 child psychiatrists in Canada surveyed are prescribing drugs known as atypical antipsychotics for a variety of disorders and symptoms, including anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and "poor frustration tolerance."

While most prescriptions were for children 13 and older, researchers found that a "surprising" number were for the very young: Twelve per cent of all prescriptions were for children aged eight or under, including three-year-olds.

None of the drugs has been officially approved for use in children. All are in a different class from Ritalin, a stimulant used to treat attention deficit disorder in children.

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