Treatment Recommendations for the Use of Antipsychotics for Aggressive Youth (TRAAY) Part II

• NCJ Number: 199050
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2003 Pages: 145-161
• Author(s): Sara B. Schur B.A.; Lin Sikich M.D.; Robert L. Findling M.D.; M. Lynn Crismon; Albert Derivan M.D.; James C. MacIntyre, II M.D.; Elizabeth Pappadopulos Ph.D.; Laurence Greenhill M.D.; David M. Rube M.D.; Nina Schooler Ph.D.; Peter S. Jensen M.D.; Richard P. Malone M.D.; Sonja E. Siennick B.A.; Molly Finnerty M.D.; Scott Ketner B.A.; Harvey Kranzler M.D.; Jeffrey Sverd M.D.; Chip Felton C.S.W
• Editor(s): Mina K. Felton M.D.
• Date Published: February 2003
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study was undertaken to develop treatment recommendations for the use of antipsychotic medications for children and adolecents with serious psychiatric disorders and behavior problems.

Abstract

This study's recommendations were developed in six phases and based upon three primary sources of information: current scientific evidence, published and unpublished; the need for treatment-relevant information and guidance derived from focus groups of clinicians; and consensus of clinical and research experts obtained from a formal survey and a consensus workshop. Fourteen treatment recommendations on the use of atypical antipsychotics for aggression in youth with comorbid psychiatric conditions were developed. Each recommendation corresponds to one of the phases of care: evaluation, treatment, stabilization, and maintenance. A brief clinical rationale is included that draws upon the available scientific evidence and consensus opinion of experts obtained from survey data and a consensus workshop. The authors suggest that an area that still needs attention is the issue of subtyping comorbid aggression into clinically meaningful categories, such as conduct disorder, explosive aggression, and predatory aggression. It is suggested that evidence- and consensus-based treatment recommendations may both be useful approaches to guide the use of antipsychotics in youth with aggression until additional research from controlled trials becomes available. A list of references is included.