Parental attitudes and opinions on the use of psychotropic medication in mental disorders of childhood.

Background: The limited number of systematic, controlled studies that assess the safety and efficacy of psychotropic medications for children reinforce the hesitation and reluctance of parents to administer such medications. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of parents of children with psychiatric disorders, towards psychotropic medication.

Methods: A 20-item questionnaire was distributed to 140 parents during their first contact with an outpatient child psychiatric service.