Background:This study was designed to investigate the metabolic adverse effects (AEs) of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) and their relationship with physical activity and non-metabolic AE in children and adolescents.Materials and Methods:After exclusion of patients with metabolic syndrome, 62 patients (34 children, 28 adolescents) of both genders who were candidates for SGA therapy were selected. Metabolic parameters included fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), blood pressure (BP), and waist circumference (WC); non-metabolic AEs and physical activity were evaluated at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months after starting the treatment.Results:Mean of post-treatment FBG and TG were significantly higher than the baseline values (P < 0.0001). Compared to the baseline value, significantly more patients developed abnormally high (AbH) FBG at the end point (P = 0.02). There was no significant difference in the frequency of patients with AbH-FBG either at the baseline or at the end point (P > 0.05). The frequency of patients with AbH-TG at the end point was not significantly higher than those with baseline AbH-TG (P = 0.10). Although no patient was obese at baseline, 11 (18%) patients developed abdominal obesity at the end point (P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the frequency of non-metabolic AE (P > 0.05). There was no significant correlation between metabolic and non-metabolic AE (P > 0.05). Frequency of inactive patients was significantly more than the baseline value (P-0.008), and abdominal obesity was significantly more prevalent in less active participants (P = 0.03).Conclusion:The present study showed the AE of SGA on FBG and TG, but no effect on BP and WC. We also found that children are more prone to develop abnormally high FBG.

SummaryStudies Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective in the treatment of several psychiatric illnesses. Only a few studies describe the use of ECT in children and adolescents. We describe the treatment of catatonic symptoms with ECT in a twelve-year-old boy who presented with complaints of nausea, vomiting and ataxia and developed catatonic symptoms 48 hours after admission to hospital. The response to diazepam infusion was partial but recovery was complete after 12 treatments of ECT. There were no adverse effects to ECT.