title: Antipsychotics use in children and adolescents: An on-going challenge in clinical practice.
abstract: Antipsychotic medications (APs) are a well-established pharmacological treatment in adults with serious mental health problems. However, many adult mental health disorders have their origins and onset in childhood or adolescence. The understanding that neuropsychiatric conditions of childhood are in part biologically determined, led to an increase in the number of clinical trials supporting evidence on the efficacy of antipsychotic agents as first-line treatment for childhood psychotic disorders and therapeutic augmentation of nonpsychotic conditions. In recent years the use of antipsychotics in children and adolescents for neurodevelopmental, behavioural and psychiatric disorders has significantly increased while the age of prescription has decreased. These trends have not been matched by advances in the understanding of APs' safety profile in this group of patients. It is therefore crucial that current and future practice is informed by up-to-date synthesis of the evidence and clinical guidelines about the use and monitoring of these treatments in paediatric populations, since the effectiveness of early therapeutic interventions in children can affect positively the long-term outcome.
authors.affiliation: National and Specialist Acorn Lodge Children's Unit, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK Pharmacy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology Division, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zalsman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frangou
authors.affiliation: National and Specialist Acorn Lodge Children's Unit, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA marinos.kyriakopoulos@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Marinos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kyriakopoulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D017668:Age of Onset; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
keywords: Antipsychotic medication; adolescents; adverse effects; autism; bipolar; children; schizophrenia