Are Omega-3s Effective for ADHD?

Topics: ADHD | Child Psychiatry | Natural Medications | Research Updates

Medications for PTSD

Topics: Anxiety Disorder | Child Psychiatry | PTSD

Trauma-focused psychotherapies are the gold standard for treating PTSD in children and adolescents, as recommended in the 2010 AACAP practice parameters. Many studies support the use of psychotherapy in contrast to the lack of research for medications. First line treatment of PTSD should always consist of psychotherapy but medications are often used in

EMDR in Children and Adolescents

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Psychotherapy

EMDR stands for “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.” Created by psychologist Francine Shapiro in 1989, EMDR was first used for posttraumatic stress symptoms associated with military combat and sexual assault, and the treatment has a strong base of support. For instance, it was recommended with “moderate clinical confidence” by the Am

The Neurobiology of Trauma

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Neuroscience in Psychiatry

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Psychotherapy | PTSD

Does Co-Sleeping Cause Behavior Problems?

Topics: Child Psychiatry

Risperdal not Effective for Anorexia Nervosa

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Eating Disorders | Research Updates

You Can’t Say You Can’t Play: What Works for Bullying

Topics: Child Psychiatry

While culturally we have become more aware of the prevalence and consequences of bullying, it remains a significant problem and a frequent reason for presentation for psychiatric care. National surveys indicate that bullying affects up to 50% of students (Pergolizzi F et al, Int J Adolesc Med Health 2011;23(1):11–8). Bullies and victims are more li

Effectively Working With Schools

Topics: Child Psychiatry

As summer wanes and children return to school, it is a natural time to reconsider the relationship of child psychiatry and the schools. For the past 25 years, I have consulted to the Gifford School, a therapeutic day school in Weston, Mass, as well as to the Brookline, Massachusetts, public schools. I am writing for outpatient clinicians, about child

Post-Concussive Syndrome, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Topics: ADHD | Child Psychiatry

Head injuries occur in 110 to 400 out of every 100,000 adults each year, but are much more common in children—around 692 per 100,000 children younger than 15. Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs in 75% to 85% of these cases. While serious emotional, cognitive, and behavioral changes are known sequelae of severe TBI, it appears at least in some ca

The Endocrine System and Psychiatric Medications

Topics: Child Psychiatry

Is Nicotine an Effective Treatment for ADHD? Three Studies Weigh In

Topics: ADHD | Child Psychiatry

Early Onset Psychosis May Lead to Better Outcomes

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Research Updates

An Evidence-Based Approach to OCD

Topics: Anxiety Disorder | Child Psychiatry | OCD

In her book, amen, amen, amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn’t Stop Praying (Among Other Things), Abby Sher describes the onset and course of obsessive compulsive disorder from a child’s perspective. From the time of her father’s death, she finds herself compelled to make the world safe by kissing things, saying things, and collecting things over an

Tourette’s Syndrome: A Brief Summary

Topics: Anxiety Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Tourette’s syndrome is a disorder of both motor and vocal tics. If you see or hear both of these, you can make the diagnosis with confidence. The media tends to characterize Tourette’s by the presence of corprolalia, the disorder of sudden explosions of expletives, but this actually only occurs in about 10% of cases (Singer HS, Lancet Neurol 2005;4(

Habit Reversal Training: Optimal Treatment for Tics

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Psychotherapy

Habit reversal training (HRT) is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that systematically targets tics. The idea behind HRT is that even though tics are generated neurobiologically, they are enhanced by conditioning. Specifically, the urge to have a tic is uncomfortable, and by having one, the discomfort is removed in the short term. The tic is theref

Tic Disorders and Comorbid Conditions

Topics: ADHD | Anxiety Disorder | Child Psychiatry | OCD

Which Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders Actually Work?

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Research Updates

Black Box Redux: SSRIs and Risk of Suicide

Topics: Antidepressants | Child Psychiatry

It has been eight years since child psychiatry first began to deal with controversy about SSRIs and their potential to prompt suicidal behavior in youth. The controversy was prevalent in the popular press from the time of the introduction of SSRIs, leading the FDA to state in 1991 that “there is no credible evidence of a causal link between the use of

Risk Factors for Suicide

Topics: Child Psychiatry