Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Antipsychotics prescribed to treat kids with ADHD?
NEED TO KNOW
- No antipsychotics approved by the FDA to treat kids with ADHD, according to study's leads author
- There may be possible explanations for the increase
The number of children and teens being prescribed
antipsychotic medications for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) has increased over the past few years, according to a new study.
The drugs usually prescribed for psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar, can have significant side effects … and that’s what may be so concerning about the growing trend.
There are no antipsychotics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat kids diagnosed with ADHD, notes the study’s lead author Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of clinical psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, in the Chicago Tribune.
But there could be possible explanations to why there has been an increase in prescribed antipsychotics.
The Huffington Post reports that an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with conditions like bipolar disorder or autism spectrum, which the FDA has approved in those circumstances. Another reason may be that at least six new antipsychotics in the last 15 years have been introduced to the market.
Dr. Michael Houston, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at The George Washington University Medical Center tells Huffington, “When such medications are recommended, parents should ask a lot of questions, [such as], ‘What other types of treatment, including therapy, are available? What are the possible risks, and how will my child be monitored to possibly avoid [them]? How long will my child be on this medication?’"
Olfson and his colleagues used data on nearly half a million doctors' visits in the U.S. between 1993 and 2009 in accordance with this study.
The drugs usually prescribed for psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar, can have significant side effects … and that’s what may be so concerning about the growing trend.
There are no antipsychotics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat kids diagnosed with ADHD, notes the study’s lead author Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of clinical psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, in the Chicago Tribune.
But there could be possible explanations to why there has been an increase in prescribed antipsychotics.
The Huffington Post reports that an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with conditions like bipolar disorder or autism spectrum, which the FDA has approved in those circumstances. Another reason may be that at least six new antipsychotics in the last 15 years have been introduced to the market.
Dr. Michael Houston, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at The George Washington University Medical Center tells Huffington, “When such medications are recommended, parents should ask a lot of questions, [such as], ‘What other types of treatment, including therapy, are available? What are the possible risks, and how will my child be monitored to possibly avoid [them]? How long will my child be on this medication?’"
Olfson and his colleagues used data on nearly half a million doctors' visits in the U.S. between 1993 and 2009 in accordance with this study.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)