Psychotropic Drug Prescriptions for Small Children Leveling Off

The use of psychotropic prescription medications to treat mental health disorders in very young children is stabilizing, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Psychotropic medications that are commonly prescribed to treat ADHD, mood disorders and other mental health problems include both typical and atypical antipsychotics, antidepressants, antianxiety agents, stimulants and mood stabilizers.

Few of these medications have been approved for use at preschool age by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

However, the researchers from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center say previous studies have shown that psychotropic prescriptions increased two to threefold for preschool children between 1991 and 2001.

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