[BendtheBar]

British doctors illegally prescribe ADHD drugs to children as young as four

But according to Professor Tim Kendall, joint director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health and former chair of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline committee, confirmed reports indicate that doctors often illegally prescribe ADHD drugs for children even younger than six, and they do so without a comprehensive diagnosis. And in many cases, he says parents actually push doctors to prescribe the drugs as a quick-fix solution to perceived behavioral problems that may not even exist.

"There are two reasons why parents go shopping for a diagnosis," he said to the Guardian. "The first is to improve their child's performance at school, and the second is to get access to benefits. There are always GPs (general practitioners) that will do it, but it's wrong to give a child a diagnosis without also consulting schools and teachers."