Trends in Antipsychotic Drug Use by Very Young, Privately Insured Children

Age-related trends in treatment use for children with autism spectrum disorder

“…A large-scale study of Medicaid-eligible U.S. children indicated that services used change with age: as children got older psychotropic medication increased, while use of speech, occupational, and physical therapies decreased (Cidav, Lawer, Marcus, & Mandell, 2013). Psychopharmacological treatments are consistently reported as more commonly used among older children with ASD (Aman et al, 2003;Goin-Kochel et al, 2007), although drug treatments are increasingly offered to younger and younger children (Olfson, Crystal, Huang, & Gerhard, 2010). On the other hand, special diets (e.g., gluten-free and/or casein-free) and behavioral/educational treatments may more often be pursued for younger age groups (Goin-Kochel et al, 2007).…”

Assessment and management of bipolar disorder: summary of updated NICE guidance

“…In the United States, children as young as 4 or 5 years are being treated with drugs, 17 using criteria for diagnosis that would not be accepted in the NHS. Thus, increasing numbers of children and young people are taking antipsychotics, 18 which are associated with serious adverse events, including increased prolactin levels, rapid weight gain, and increased risk of diabetes. 12 The previous NICE guideline rejected the extension of bipolar disorder into childhood and suggested that clinicians apply stricter criteria to adolescents, 19 but the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents has continued, mostly in the US.…”

Bipolar disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation in children and adolescents: assessment, diagnosis and treatment

“…At the same time, there was a steep rise in antipsychotic prescriptions in the USA,11 raising concerns that children were overdiagnosed and unduly prescribed potentially harmful medication. The observed increase is unlikely due to a genuine increase in the prevalence of the disorder, but rather reflect changes in diagnostic practice.…”