Increase in Antipsychotic Drugs to Treat Young Kids with ADHD
The use of antipsychotic medications to treat ADHD and autism in children ages two to five has doubled.
by
ADDitude Editors
The use of antipsychotic medications to treat ADHD and autism in children ages two to five has doubled, according to a study reported on in Business Week Health News.
According to Business Week, seventy-five percent of the time the antipsychotic drug prescribed to children was the FDA-approved medication risperidone (Risperdal), which is used to treat symptoms such as unstable mood or irritability.
Business Week explains that researchers are concerned about this rise in antipsychotic use in children because little is known about the long-term effects of this kind of medication on patients so young.