Parent-Focused Therapy Outperforms Conjoint Therapy for Anorexia

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Eating Disorders | Research Updates

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder: A Primer

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Nine-year-old Johnny has had chronic grouchiness and severe temper outbursts since early childhood. At age 4, Johnny was asked to leave preschool because of his behavior and was diagnosed with ADHD. Stimulant treatment diminished the ADHD symptoms a lot and the irritability a bit. Johnny continued to have both chronic grouchiness and outbursts when frus

Treating Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Evolution of Childhood Bipolar Disorder in the United States

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Extended-Release Guanfacine Improves ADHD Symptoms in Autism

Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder | Child Psychiatry | Psychopharmacology Tips

Meds for ADHD Not Working? Add CBT

Topics: ADHD | Child Psychiatry | Research Updates

Risperidone Leads to Serious Metabolic Problems in Autistic Children

Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder | Child Psychiatry | Research Updates

Understanding Conduct Disorder

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | Practice Tools and Tips | Psychotherapy

Getting Bullied as a Kid: Not Good for Your Mental Health

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | Depressive Disorder | PTSD

Disrupted Sleep: Approaches to Assessment and Treatment in Children and Adolescents

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Sleep Disorders

Although sleep problems occur frequently in the pediatric population, with rates between 25%–40%, they too often go unrecognized and untreated (Sheldon S, Ferber R, Kryger M., Principles and Practice of Pediatric Sleep Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2005). In his Q&A interview in this issue, Dr. Rafael Pelayo nicely addresses how common sle

Got Zeitgebers? You Should

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Sleep Disorders

There are many potential causes of poor sleep in children, but regardless of the cause, it is important to be aware of overarching environmental factors that can affect sleep. The German word zeitgeber (literally “time-giver”) refers to any cue in the environment such as a change in light or temperature that can set the body’s internal clock. To s

Poor Sleep in Children and Adolescents: A Primer

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Sleep Disorders

The Explosion of the ADHD Diagnosis: The Key Causes

Topics: ADHD | Child Psychiatry | Free Articles

Rates of ADHD have increased significantly in the U.S. over the past several years, leading to an ongoing debate about the validity of the disorder. Because you are likely to be asked by patients (or their parents) about this issue, it’s helpful for you to have some background in exactly how much the prevalence has increased, and what factors may be d

Newer Stimulant Preparations: Are They Worth the Cost?

Topics: ADHD | Child Psychiatry

Longtime readers of CCPR will know that we are generally skeptical of the utility of newly approved stimulant preparations, unless they are actually new molecules. Over the last few years, several of these variations on older themes have been introduced; here is a handy table for your perusal should you be curious. Caution: While some of these formulati

ADHD and Executive Functioning Disorder

Topics: ADHD | Child Psychiatry

Diagnosing Depression in Children and Adolescents

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Depressive Disorder | Free Articles

Today, the idea that adolescents and children, even young children, can have a major depressive disorder is widely accepted, but that was not always the case. Debates about the age at which “true” depression could manifest itself were widespread in child and adolescent psychiatry through the late 70s and into the early 80s (Pataki CS and Carlson GA,

Antidepressants and Suicidal Ideation in Young People: A Practical Approach

Topics: Antidepressants | Child Psychiatry | Depressive Disorder

Many of you will remember that in October of 2004, the FDA announced to drug companies that they should add black-box warnings about the risk of suicidal behavior in children and adolescents started on antidepressants. This was based on an analysis of placebo-controlled, randomized trials (a total of 24 trials involving over 4,400 patients) showing that

Antidepressant Use in Children and Teenagers

Topics: Antidepressants | Child Psychiatry | Depressive Disorder | Free Articles | Practice Tools and Tips | Psychopharmacology Tips

Foster Care and Child Psychiatry: A Primer

Topics: Antipsychotics | Child Psychiatry | Free Articles | Practice Tools and Tips | Psychopharmacology Tips | Psychotherapy | PTSD

In this issue of CCPR we focus on the treatment of children in foster care systems. Nearly one in three of these children have significant psychiatric problems during their time in foster care—especially those related to trauma and neglect that brought them into the system (McMillen JC et al, J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2005;44(1):88–95). Rec

Managing Psychotropic Treatment with Foster Children

Topics: Antipsychotics | Child Psychiatry | Psychopharmacology Tips | PTSD

Janey is 5. She hits and she bites. Her third foster mother, Sandy, is thinking it’s too much to handle. I am her new psychopharmacologist. Janey arrives with a thick chart documenting in utero substance exposure, early neglect, many placements, and symptoms consistent with many DSM-5 diagnoses, including reactive attachment disorder, generalized anxi