The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter articles from August 2005

The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter archives from August 2005

New data evaluates prescribing patterns in children and adolescents: sickest patients most likely to get multiple medications.(SPECIAL REPORT: Medication Treatment)
August 1, 2005... As psychiatrists and other professionals search for ways to treat children and adolescents with complex and severe mental disorders, concomitant pharmacotherapy--the use of two or more drugs at the same time--has been on the increase. But...

Is there a link between Accutane and depression?(Drug Safety: New Data on Accutane)
August 1, 2005... Findings from a new pilot study (1) indicate that Accutane (isotretinoin), an acne medication, is associated with decreased brain metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex, an area of the brain that is believed to mediate symptoms of depression....

... Warning on OTC drug abuse.(Keep Your Eye On ...)(over the counter)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The FDA is warning the public of the potential harm of dextromethorphan (DXM) following the deaths of 5 teenagers that may be related to DXM abuse. DXM is found in many over-the-counter cough and cold medications and is being used by some...

... FDA requests further data on anticonvulsants and suicide.(Keep Your Eye On ...)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The New York Times has reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested the manufacturers of epilepsy drugs to reexamine their clinical trial data to determine whether the drugs increase patients' risk of suicide. The...

... Bupropion SR metabolized faster in children than in adults.(Keep Your Eye On ...)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Researchers examined potential developmental differences between children and adults in metabolizing bupropion SR to hydroxybupropion and other active metabolites. Bupropion SR monotherapy was given to 19 children aged 11 to 17 years for ADHD...

... FDA to issue methylphenidate warnings.(Keep Your Eye On ...)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration has announced plans to add a warning to drugs containing methylphenidate, such as Concerta and Ritalin, approved to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children ages 6 and older. According...

Low dose stimulants in young children with ADHD.(What's New in Research: Stimulants and Antidepressants)
August 1, 2005... Little research has been carried out on dose effects of stimulant medication among children younger than 6 years, particularly as it affects behavior with peers in social and classroom settings. In a new study, researchers found that...

Combined therapy effective for pediatric OCD.(What's New in Research: Stimulants and Antidepressants)(obsessive compulsive disorder)
August 1, 2005... A meta-analysis of the pediatric OCD treatment literature published in the journal Behavior Therapy suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy involving exposure and response prevention (ERP) and medication with selective serotonin reuptake...

Thoughts on medications in children.(Editor's Commentary)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... This issue is unusual for The Letter in that it is entirely focused on the use of medications in treating psychiatric disorders in the pediatric population. The majority of our readers are not physicians, and fewer still are child and...

Psychiatric medications for children and adolescents.
August 1, 2005... Psychiatric medications can be an effective part of the treatment for psychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence. In recent years there have been an increasing number of new and different psychiatric medications used in children and...