Psychiatric services : a journal of the American Psychiatric Association
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This research study aimed to assess national trends in pediatric use of anticonvulsants for seizures and psychiatric disorders. ⋯ Whereas anticonvulsant use for seizure disorders across the 14-year period was stable, the use of these drugs for psychiatric conditions rose to a dominant position. The growth of concomitant and off-label use to treat behavioral disorders raises questions about effectiveness and safety in community populations of youths.
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Punishment of juvenile murderers forces policy makers to weigh the developmental immaturity of adolescents against the heinousness of their crimes. The U. ⋯ Having eliminated the death penalty as a punishment, the Court recently struck down mandatory life sentences without prospect of parole. The decision is interesting for its emphasis on rehabilitation, opening the door to further restrictions on punitive sentences for juveniles-and perhaps for adults too.
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The study aimed to assess the occurrence of overlapping prescriptions for methylphenidate among children and adolescents with newly diagnosed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to evaluate the extent to which physician-level and patient-level characteristics affected the risk of prescription overlap during a one-year treatment period. ⋯ In an effort to improve the quality and safety of prescription of controlled substances in younger populations, interventions or policies should be devised to target both the service providers and the patients.
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Shared decision making is widely recognized to facilitate effective health care. The purpose of this study was to assess the applicability and usefulness of a scale to measure the presence and extent of shared decision making in clinical decisions in psychiatric practice. ⋯ The rating scale appears to reliably assess shared decision making in psychiatric practice and could be helpful for future research, training, and implementation efforts.