Additional drug safety, efficacy data needed for pediatric bipolar disorder.(Pediatric Bipolar Disorder)(Clinical report)

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have greater efficacy in pediatric bipolar disorder than traditional mood stabilizers, according to a systematic review and metaanalysis of clinical trials on pharmacotherapy of pediatric mania. The reviewers found traditional mood stabilizers had only a modest effect when used as monotherapy in pediatric bipolar disorder and were associated with poor tolerability.

Lead author of the review Howard H. Liu, M.D., told The Update that the current article "summarizes 20 years of research into the treatment of pediatric bipolar disorder encompassing over 2,600 subjects in open-label and randomized clinical trials," Liu told The Update. "The most important trend that emerged was the relatively greater efficacy of SGA's in the treatment of manic symptoms than traditional mood stabilizers, anticonvulsants, or naturopathic therapies." Liu is Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, and Psychiatry Clerkship Director, Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.

Study details

The study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of various drug treatments for pediatric bipolar disorder on symptoms of mania, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The study included 29 open-label and 17 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English between 1989 through …