Two decades ago, Terrie Moffitt first proposed that there are two distinct kinds of antisocial behavior in children: one that starts when kids are young, is life-long and is neurobiolgically-based, and one that develops in adolescence and that kids can grow out of.

More than 75% of cases of child abuse in the US involve neglect, according to a consensus report from the Institute of Medicine released in September 2013.

Ten percent of high school seniors report drinking more than 10 drinks at one time, and 5.6% report drinking more than 15, according to a recent study in JAMA Pediatrics (Patrick ME et al, Online First September 16, 2013).

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

We all know that medication use for psychiatric disorders in kids has been increasing over the past 10 years, and that it plays an important role in treatment. We also know that side effects can cause alarm among parents and young patients.

Drug interactions are a common issue in psychopharmacology. The advent of drug interaction software has made it easier to keep track of drug interactions, but it is still important to have a sound understanding of the principles in order to apply the results of drug interaction software alerts to daily patient care.

Child psychiatrists prescribe stimulants all the time. Get a review of the most common side effects from Brigette Vaughan, APRN.

Ample evidence exists to support the notion that drugs are used to enhance social situations, with different effects depending on the specific drug consumed. Based on the extent of rewarding interactions while on a drug, one is more or less apt to repeat use.

The seminal study of preschool ADHD, the Preschool ADHD Treatment study (PATS), examined the efficacy of stimulant medication (methylphenidate) when added to parent training in preschoolers age three to five years old (Greenhill L et al, JAACAP 2006;45(11):1284–1293).

Bipolar I and II disorder (BD I and II) together affect an estimated 2.5% of US adolescents (Merikangas KR et al, Arch Gen Psychiatry 2012; 68(3):241–251), and there is little argument that they result in significant morbidity.