Mortality in children and adolescents prescribed antipsychotic medication: a retrospective cohort study using the UK general practice research database.

Background: Antipsychotic prescribing in children has risen in many countries; however, the safety of these agents in the young has not yet been fully established. Potentially fatal antipsychotic-related adverse events include cardiac complications and neuroleptic malignant syndrome.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate mortality in children and adolescents taking antipsychotic medication.

Paediatric atypical antipsychotic monitoring safety (PAMS) study: pilot study in children and adolescents in secondary- and tertiary-care settings.

Background: In the UK, treatment with antipsychotic medications for children is usually initiated by specialists in secondary care. Recent studies have shown an increase in the prescribing of atypical antipsychotics in children. The severity of possible adverse effects to antipsychotics in adults has lead to awareness of the importance of investigating the potential adverse effects of these agents in children.