New Study Reveals Ongoing Rise in Psychotropic Drug Use Among Children and Young Adults in Denmark

The use of medication for mental disorders surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this trend has persisted. The study analysed data from the Danish National Prescription Registry and assessed trends in psychotropic drug use up to December 2023 among children and young adults aged 5 to 24 years.

“If anyone expected the increase observed during the pandemic to be temporary, we now see that the rise continues, even though all restrictions have long been lifted,” says Mette Bliddal, one of the study's authors and an associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark.

She further explains: “Notably, the use of medication for ADHD and sleep disorders has increased significantly. This rise is most pronounced among girls and young women aged 12 to 24. There is also a noticeable increase in the use of medication for anxiety and depression.”

In the study, recently published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, researchers identified all individuals aged 5 to 24 who filled their first prescription for a psychiatric medication. They compared the monthly number of new psychotropic drug users after February 2022, when all restrictions were lifted, with a forecast based on the expected number of new users had the pandemic not occurred.

Lack of Explanation for the Increase

The study does not provide an explanation for why we are seeing this increase. Chief Physician Tine Houmann, from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center in the Capital Region of Denmark, who was not involved in the study, has read the research from the University of Southern Denmark. She states, “Currently, we see a growing number of children with autism spectrum disorders accompanied by anxiety and sleep problems in the clinic. This could explain the rise in the use of sleep medication and antidepressants for anxiety treatment.”

She continues, “In terms of ADHD, it should be noted that improved identification and increased awareness, particularly among girls and young adults, may have contributed to the rise in the use of ADHD medication. Additionally, increased anxiety and poor well-being can worsen existing symptoms, leading to diagnosis and treatment.”

“Denmark has a low use of psychotropic drugs for children and young people compared to, for example, Sweden, where there are significantly more child and adolescent psychiatrists. The increase we have observed in recent years may be due to greater awareness of mental illness among girls and young women. However, it may also be that the psychological distress this group experienced during the pandemic has not subsided and increasingly requires medical treatment," says research leader and associate professor Rikke Wesselhöft from the Research unit of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a co-author of the study.

“We cannot determine from our study why there is this increase in the use of psychotropic drugs. Therefore, we should further investigate who is being prescribed the medication and why. We need to find out how to best help them, whether the increase is due to better diagnosis or more children and young people experiencing distress that requires medical treatment,” concludes Mette Bliddal.