Dinah Morley, acting director of children's mental health charity Young Minds, said that some children might respond better to the drug, Atomoxetine, "as part of a coherent package of care", but it was not a substitute for talking therapies that address the root causes of problems.
She said children were particularly at risk of being mistreated since there was a shortage of child and adolescent mental health services, which reduced their access to talking therapies.
Atomoxetine, which has already been licensed in the US, is not a stimulant, unlike some other methylphenidate class drugs used to treat ADHD, such as Ritalin, and therefore it is unlikely to be misused.
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