The Brown University Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update articles from June 2009

The Brown University Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update archives from June 2009

MTA follow-up study requires careful interpretation of treatment effects.(ADHD)
June 1, 2009... The research team that analyzed six- and eight-year outcomes for youths in the groundbreaking multimodal treatment study for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is urging prescribers neither to shun medication...

New US Task Force recommends screening for depression in adolescents.(Depression)
June 1, 2009... A new recommendation by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) calls for routine screening of all adolescents 12 to 18 years of age for major depressive disorder (MDD) when accurate diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up can be ensured. The...

Depression treatment and outcome predictors.(What's New In Research)
June 1, 2009... In a study of 177 adolescents with unipolar major depression who received psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment, 23% remained treatment-resistant at 28-week follow-up. Significant predictors of endpoint depression were a cumulative effect of...

Weight gain due to long-term risperidone use .(What's New In Research)
June 1, 2009... Extended risperidone treatment for approximately 3 years resulted in significant increases in weight and body mass index (BMI) in children 7 to 17 years of age, according to a naturalistic study. Long-term risperidone use was associated with...

Methylphenidate potential treatment for internet addiction.(News Notes)
June 1, 2009... Addiction to internet video games may be a means of self-medication in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to a new study, methylphenidate (MPH) may be a potential treatment for this popular addiction. The...

Zolpidem not effective for ADHD-associated insomnia.(News Notes)(Clinical report)
June 1, 2009... Zolpidem was found to be ineffective in reducing insomnia in pediatric patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in a randomized controlled trial. The study was conducted in 2 groups of young patients stratified according to...

Antidepressant half-life and suicide risk.(News Notes)
June 1, 2009... Risk of suicidality among children and adolescents receiving antidepressants may be associated, at least in part, with antidepressant half-life. Researchers explored the relationship between antidepressant half-life and relative risk of suicidal...

Mental illness most costly among children's ailments.(News Notes)
June 1, 2009... Treating mental illness incurred the highest expenditure in 2006 among ailments afflicting children and adolescents. Mental illness, asthma, trauma-related disorders, acute bronchitis, and infectious diseases ranked highest in 2006 in terms of...

Antiepileptics/anticonvulsants and suicide risk.(From the FDA)
June 1, 2009... The FDA approved new safety labeling changes on April 23, 2009 warning of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions with use of all approved anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), except those that are indicated only for short-term use. The...

Pediatric exclusivity stats updated.(From the FDA)
June 1, 2009... The FDA has updated its Best Pharmaceuticals for Children's Act/Pediatric Exclusivity Statistics, available at: www.fda.gov/cder/pediatric/index.htm#pedexcl-stats.

PDAC transcript.(From the FDA)(psychopharmacologic drugs advisory committee )(Report)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Background documents, briefing information, and a transcript of the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee (PDAC) meeting of April 7-8 are available on the FDA website at: www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/cder09.html#Psychopharmacologic. The...

Niemann-Pick disease presenting with psychosis.(Case Report)
June 1, 2009... Patient: Male, 17 years old Medications: Risperidone (Risperdal); quetiapine (Seroquel); haloperidol (Haldol); biperiden (Akineton) Case: A 17-year-old boy was admitted to a child and adolescent psychiatric ward, diagnosed with paranoid...

Mirtazapine (Generic): (Brand: Remeron, Remeron SolTab).(PATIENT INFORMATION SHEET)
June 1, 2009... What is mirtazapine? Mirtazapine is in a class of medications called antidepressants. What is mirtazapine Mirtazapine is indicated for used for? the treatment of major ...