What's New in Pediatric Psychopharmacology?

Throughout the past decade, a number of pivotal clinical trials, mostly funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, have significantly expanded the data available for clinicians who treat children with mental disorders, according to Christopher Kratochvil, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics and associate vice chancellor for clinical research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Kratochvil chaired the master course “Update on Pediatric Psychopharmacology” at APA’s 2014 annual meeting today. This course gave clinicians an overview of recent trials that have examined the role of pharmacotherapies in the treatment of a variety of childhood psychiatric disorders.

The course included three clinician researchers in addition to Kratochvil: Karen Dineen Wagner, M.D., Ph.D., the Marie B. Gale Centennial Professor and vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch; John Walkup, M.D., professor and vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College; and Christopher McDougle, M.D., professor of psychiatry and pediatrics and director of the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital and MassGeneral Hospital for Children.

A diverse portfolio of pediatric trials has been conducted over the past several years; particularly noteworthy is that several included nonpharmacological comparators. Among the disorders studied were depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and anxiety. These studies have helped inform clinicians about the potential roles of pharmacotherapies as well as some specific nonpharmacotherapies, as monotherapy or combined interventions.

All four speakers highlighted the great strides that have been made in growing the database surrounding pediatric psychopharmacology, while acknowledge the persistence of gaps, particularly surrounding long-term trials and combination pharmacotherapies.