Nationwide Increase in Antipsychotic Medications Used for Children

An AHRQ-funded study, "Trends in Prescribing of Antipsychotic Medications for U.S. Children," that was published in the March-April issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics found that the overall frequency of antipsychotic prescribing in the U.S. increased fivefold—from 8.6 out of 1,000 U.S. children in 1995-1996 to 39.4 out of 1,000 children in 2001-2002.

According to the researchers, led by William Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Pediatrics in the Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit, at Vanderbilt University, the increase in frequencies of antipsychotic prescribing and the large number of children receiving antipsychotics each year reinforce the urgent need to conduct well-controlled studies of these medications in children.

Cooper WO, Arbogast PG, Ding H, Hickson GB, Fuchs DC, Ray WA. Trends in prescribing of antipsychotic medications for US children. Ambul Pediatr. 2006 Mar-Apr;6(2):79-83.