How Do States Monitor Atypical Antipsychotics Prescribed To Children?: An OPEN MINDS Market Intelligence Report

Antipsychotic drugs were developed to specifically treat psychiatric disorders in the adult population. Over time the drugs have been increasingly prescribed to children as young as age three. Although some antipsychotics have been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for use in children, there are very few long-term studies that show the efficacy and safety of these drugs for this age group. This has caused many concerns about prescribing antipsychotics to children, including the side effects, utilization patterns, and off-label prescribing.

Antipsychotic medications are part of the psychotropic drug class which also includes: stimulants (most commonly used . . .