Historically, research into the effectiveness of antidepressants for depressed youths has been unimpressive. The history of SSRI use in children has been fraught with its own series of disappointments and controversies.
Psychotropic Drug Prescriber’s Survival Guide: Ethical Mental Health Treatment in the Age of Big Pharma. Treating Child & Adolescent Mental Illness, A Practical All-in-One Guide.
Depression in teenagers can present quite differently from both adults and younger kids. Can you help us to understand how to go about diagnosing depression in teens?
Dosing stimulants is never easy. There are various rules of thumb—for example, 0.5 mg/kg for amphetamine preparations and 1 mg/kg for methylphenidate preparations—but these have not been empirically validated.
Making the decision to put a child on a psychiatric medication is hard enough. The process of discussing this possibility with parents can be even more challenging.
Many parents are understandably reluctant to begin their children on psychiatric medication, and indeed, in many cases this is inappropriate as a first step.
What steps should clinicians take if psychopharmacologic treatments and school behavioral strategies are insufficient for managing a child with ADHD? We've all been there. ADHD,...