Symposia

Goal: The goal of this symposium is to identify ‘state-of-the-art’ strategies for the use of antipsychotic medications in the management of children and adolescents with major psychiatric disorders. Learning objectives: 1. Define pediatric populations for whom second-generation antipsychotics are indicated 2. Identify the role of second-generation antipsychotics in the management of major psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents 3. Describe the level of evidence for the effectiveness of second-generation anti-psychotic use in youth 4. Discuss risk-benefit ratios of individual second-generation antipsychotics in pediatric populations 5. Use treatment algorithms and practice guidelines for the safe and effective use of second-generation antipsychotics in children and adolescents Background: Second-generation antipsychotics are increasingly prescribed to children and adolescents targeting a variety of psychotic and non-psychotic disorders. This is mainly due to lower rates of neuromotor side effects compared to conventional antipsychotics. In addition, second generation antipsychotics may also have superior and broader effectiveness than traditional antipsychotics. Content: This symposium will focus on the evaluation of the evidence base for the safety and effectiveness of second generation antipsychotics in the treatment of children and adolescents with major psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, treatment guidelines and algorithms will be presented to help guide clinician’s treatment decisions.