Overview of pediatric psychopharmacology

INTRODUCTION Clinical practice of pediatric psychopharmacology is challenging for several reasons. Over the past 10 years, there has been significant increase in the use of psychotropic medications in the pediatric population. The largest increase was the use of atypical antipsychotics (138.4%), atypical antidepressants (42.8%), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (18.8%) (1). Although treatment with psychotropic drugs is usually managed by a child and adolescent psychiatrist, a large proportion of children receive these medications from primary care doctors and pediatric specialists. Off-label medication use and constantly emerging new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings and regulations issued by medical professional organizations require clinicians to have access and up-to-date training in clinical pharmacology.