Zagorski, N. (2020). Antipsychotic use in young children declining, but concerning trends remain. Psychiatric News, 55(23). 

Introduction

Many U.S. youth appear to be prescribed antipsychotics without first receiving recommended psychosocial interventions, experts say.

While there are signs of progress in the efforts to scale back the number of U.S. children prescribed antipsychotics, challenges remain: Many children are taking these medications off label, in combination with other psychotropics, and often without first receiving psychotherapy.

Several antipsychotics have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in children; however, only aripiprazole (for irritability associated with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, and Tourette’s symptoms) and risperidone (ASD irritability) are approved for children under 10. Studies have pointed to significant prescribing of antipsychotics in young children outside of these approved conditions, often in lieu of behavioral approaches, such as family-based psychotherapies, that are known to be safe and effective.