NCJ Number
189229
Journal
Trauma, Violence, and Abuse Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2001 Pages: 155-171
Date Published
April 2001
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the current research concerning the efficacy of psychotropic medications for childhood post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and discusses the clinical, research, and policy implications of this literature.
Abstract
Despite substantial research into the pharmacologic treatment of PTSD in adults, very little research has been conducted on such treatment for children. All of the available studies to date suffer from significant methodological flaws, such that there is little empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of using medication to treat childhood PTSD. Despite this lack, there is a trend to consider medication as a treatment option for these children. Clinicians should conduct careful assessments of children exposed to traumatic life events that assess the whole spectrum of childhood psychiatric disorders rather than focusing solely on the trauma; they should formulate treatment plans based on the individual child's clinical presentation and consider the use of interventions that have proven effective for the specific child's diagnosis. If children with PTSD are not responding to psychosocial interventions with demonstrated efficacy for this disorder, or if they have significant psychiatric comorbidity, very severe PTSD symptoms, or dangerous behaviors, the clinician should consider making a prompt referral for a medication evaluation. To improve the pharmacologic management of these children, more research is necessary. This research will likely not occur in the absence of Federal funding. 62 references and 4 suggested readings