Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jan;47(1):144-154.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2946-7.

Psychotropic Medication Use among Insured Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Jeanne M Madden  1   2 , Matthew D Lakoma  3 , Frances L Lynch  4 , Donna Rusinak  3   5 , Ashli A Owen-Smith  6   7 , Karen J Coleman  8 , Virginia P Quinn  8 , Vincent M Yau  9   10 , Yinge X Qian  9 , Lisa A Croen  9
Affiliations

Psychotropic Medication Use among Insured Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Jeanne M Madden et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

This study examined psychotropic medication use among 7901 children aged 1-17 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in five health systems, comparing to matched cohorts with no ASD. Nearly half (48.5 %) of children with ASD received psychotropics in the year observed; the most common classes were stimulants, alpha-agonists, or atomoxetine (30.2 %), antipsychotics (20.5 %), and antidepressants (17.8 %). Psychotropic treatment was far more prevalent among children with ASD, as compared to children with no ASD (7.7 % overall), even within strata defined by the presence or absence of other psychiatric diagnoses. The widespread use of psychotropics we observed, particularly given weak evidence supporting the effectiveness of these medications for most children with ASD, highlights challenges in ASD treatment and the need for greater investment in its evaluation.

Keywords: Antipsychotics; Autism spectrum disorder; Comorbidities; Epidemiological studies; Medications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Prevalence of Use of Psychotropic Medication among Children with and without ASD in 2010, by (A) Major Therapeutic Class and (B) Total Number of Major Classes
Notes: ASD cohort N=7,901; no-ASD cohort N=79,010.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Prevalence of Use of Psychotropic Medication among Children with ASD in 2010, Comparing Age and Sex Groups, by (A) Major Therapeutic Class and (B) Number of Major Classes
Notes: ASD cohort N=7,901. *small cell count, <6 individuals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ahmedani BK, Simon GE, Stewart C, Beck A, Waitzfelder BE, Rossom R, Solberg LI. Health care contacts in the year before suicide death. J Gen Intern Med. 2014;29(6):870–877. doi: 10.1007/s11606-014-2767-3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aman MG, Lam KS, Collier-Crespin A. Prevalence and patterns of use of psychoactive medicines among individuals with autism in the Autism Society of Ohio. J Autism Dev Disord. 2003;33(5):527–534. - PubMed
    1. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Practice Parameter for the Use of Atypical Antipsychotic Medications in Children and Adolescents. 2011 Retrieved from 3615 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 200016: https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/practice_parameters/Atypical....
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, (DSM-5®) American Psychiatric Association; 2013.
    1. American Psychiatric Association & American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : DSM-IV-TR. 4. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. Task Force on DSM-IV.