Information on the level and the frequency of the use of the drug ritilin is not routinely collected by my Department.
No guidelines for the prescription of the drug to children have been issued except for those included in the, Summary of Product Characteristics, approved by the Irish Medicines Board in granting the necessary authorisation to the company to place the product on the market in this country. These specify that the product is not intended for use in adults or in children less than six years of age and that doses above 40mg daily are not recommended.
It must be recognised that the drug should be used only as part of a comprehensive treatment programme which typically includes psychological, educational and social measures and that its use is aimed at stabilising children with ADHD, ADD.
My Department's policy approach is that treatment with the drug should be initiated by and be carried out by or under the supervision of a medical specialist in childhood behavioural disorders after appropriate diagnosis.
The development of services for the management and treatment of attention deficit disorder-attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – ADD/ADHD – was considered by the working group on child and adolescent psychiatric services established by the Department of Health and Children in June 2000. In its report, presented in March 2001, the working group stated that the prevalence of ADD-ADHD in Ireland can be estimated at somewhere between 1% and 5% of school age children, namely aged five to 15 years, which is in line with the research findings in other European countries. The group recommended the enhancement and expansion of the overall child and adolescent psychiatric service as the most effective means of providing the required service for children with this condition.
