Antipsychotic Prescribing Practices for Children and Adolescents (3 CE)

This course is for: Psychologists, Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Nurses

Course By: Helen Hinton, LPCC

Content by: Staff (2019). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Guidance on strategies to promote best practice in antipsychotic prescribing for children and adolescents. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: HHS Publication No. PEP19ANTIPSYCHOTIC‐BP, Rockville, MD.

Course Description: Child and adolescents evidenced an increase in prescription antipsychotic use in the early to mid-2000s. This trend was prominent among publicly insured youth residing in foster care environments.  Federal and state agencies responded to this trend by implementing strategies designed to promote safe and effective prescribing practices tailored to this demographic. These strategies were met with opposition despite the related decrease in antipsychotic prescription rates. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) advocates responded to this opposition and issued additional related principles and strategies to address such concerns.

Learning Objectives:   

1. Describe national trends in prescription antipsychotic medication use among children and adolescents over time
2. Summarize the safety and efficacy data for antipsychotic medication treatment for youth
3. Identify six overarching principles pertaining to strategies that promote safe practice in antipsychotic treatment for youth
4. List the nine identified systems-level strategies that promote antipsychotic medication oversight
5. Describe the promising practices attributed to each of the nine identified strategies for promoting best practice prescribing practices

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Guidance on strategies to promote best practice in antipsychotic prescribing for children and adolescents
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Consider demographic factors specific to children and adolescents that have contributed to increased antipsychotic prescribing practices and the related effort to mitigate overprescribing
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article/source
• Return to the article for any missed information and/or to gain a better understanding of the study limitations, recommendations and implications for future research endeavors

Approvals: