What does this research mean for the field?

Psychotropic medications are widely prescribed to children and young people in mental health inpatient units, with 87% receiving them and 57% prescribed two or more concurrently. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate psychotropic prescribing patterns across English mental health inpatient units for children and young people and to capture inpatient and parent-carer perspectives on these medications.

August 14, 2026Journal of PsychopharmacologyOpen Access

Psychotropic medication prescribing to children and young people mental health inpatient services: An English national study

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Authors

DBDavid BranfordNHS England AWAnne WebsterNHS England MKMarinos KyriakopoulosKing's College London

Discussion

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Overview

National audit reveals high rates of psychotropic prescribing and polypharmacy in youth psychiatric inpatients, highlighting substantial reliance on regular and as-needed medications.

Key Points

To evaluate psychotropic prescribing patterns across English mental health inpatient units for children and young people and to capture inpatient and parent-carer perspectives on these medications.
Conducted an anonymous nationwide medication census across NHS England-commissioned child and young person mental health inpatient units (48 providers, 73 units, N=625 inpatients).
Administered co-produced questionnaires to inpatients (N=142) and parent-carers (N=75), analyzing quantitative data descriptively and free-text responses thematically.
Of 625 inpatients, 545 (87%) were prescribed psychotropic medications, and 354 (57%) were prescribed two or more concurrent psychotropics.
Pro re nata (PRN, or as-needed) prescribing practices varied considerably across the surveyed units.
Thematic analysis of qualitative feedback identified 7 key themes from young people and 11 key themes from parent-carers regarding inpatient medication use.

Cite This Study

Branford et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7ee587b70b84ec8b9146ff https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261473383

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August 14, 2026Journal of PsychopharmacologyOpen Access

Psychotropic medication prescribing to children and young people mental health inpatient services: An English national study

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

DBDavid BranfordNHS England AWAnne WebsterNHS England MKMarinos KyriakopoulosKing's College London

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

National audit reveals high rates of psychotropic prescribing and polypharmacy in youth psychiatric inpatients, highlighting substantial reliance on regular and as-needed medications.

Key Points

To evaluate psychotropic prescribing patterns across English mental health inpatient units for children and young people and to capture inpatient and parent-carer perspectives on these medications.
Conducted an anonymous nationwide medication census across NHS England-commissioned child and young person mental health inpatient units (48 providers, 73 units, N=625 inpatients).
Administered co-produced questionnaires to inpatients (N=142) and parent-carers (N=75), analyzing quantitative data descriptively and free-text responses thematically.
Of 625 inpatients, 545 (87%) were prescribed psychotropic medications, and 354 (57%) were prescribed two or more concurrent psychotropics.
Pro re nata (PRN, or as-needed) prescribing practices varied considerably across the surveyed units.
Thematic analysis of qualitative feedback identified 7 key themes from young people and 11 key themes from parent-carers regarding inpatient medication use.

Cite This Study

Branford et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7ee587b70b84ec8b9146ff https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261473383

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

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