THOUSANDS of people with learning disabilities are being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs despite little evidence that they work, experts  warned today.

Researchers from University College London analysed data from more than 33,000 people with a learning disability, now sometimes called intellectual disability.

They found that 9,135 had been prescribed anti-psychotic drugs, of whom 71 per cent had no record of severe mental illness.

They concluded that drugs are being used to tackle challenging behaviour in people that do not have a record of severe mental illness. This includes people with Down’s syndrome, autism and some people with epilepsy. They may have difficulties with learning, communication, daily living skills, information processing and social skills.

Other types of medicines to treat mental illness — such as anxiety drugs and antidepressants — are also being prescribed in large numbers.

Anti-psychotic drugs are designed for severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia but there is little evidence that they help address behavioural problems, the experts said.