Psychiatric drugs ‘overprescribed for people with learning disabilities’

A new study has demonstrated that over-prescription of psychiatric drugs for people with learning disabilities is a common problem in the NHS.

Public Health England's research showed that one in six adults with a learning disability is currently being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs that are normally used to treat major mental illnesses by their GP.

Moreover, more than half of these adults do not have a recorded diagnosis of a condition they are designed to treat, such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.

This suggests that psychiatric drugs are presently being used more widely than is appropriate, putting people at unnecessary risk of experiencing the side effects associated with such therapies.

Gyles Glover, consultant in public health and co-director of the learning disabilities team, said: "It is crucial that we build our evidence of what drugs are being used to manage behaviour and how often to support and guide a change in practice."

Around 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability of some kind, with around 350,000 of these cases considered to be severe.