Deprescribing Antidepressants in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Discontinuation Approaches, Cross-Titration, and Withdrawal Symptoms.

Antidepressant medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), are commonly used to treat depressive, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders in youth. Yet, data on discontinuing these medications, withdrawal symptoms, and strategies to switch between them are limited. We searched PubMed and ClinicalTrials.

Contextual Triggers and Tic Severity Across Life Periods: A Retrospective Analysis in Adults with Tic Disorders.

In tic disorders (TD), tic expression varies across the lifespan and as a function of contextual factors. This study explored connections between tic expression and contextual triggers across life periods in 74 adults (M = 23.2) with TDs.

Perceived Negative Effects of Tic Management Strategies in Adults With Tic Disorders.

Behavior therapy is a well-established and empirically supported treatment for tic disorders (TDs). However, concerns have been expressed about the negative effects of behavioral interventions, such as tic worsening, tic substitution, and excessive effort. This study explored perceived negative effects of tic management strategies in adults with TDs and predictors of these experiences.

Standardizing and Improving Care for Pediatric Agitation Management in the Emergency Department.

Background And Objectives: Pediatric mental health emergency department (ED) visits are rising in the United States, with more visits involving medication for acute agitation. Timely, standardized implementation of behavioral strategies and medications may reduce the need for physical restraint. Our objective was to standardize agitation management in a pediatric ED and reduce time in physical restraints.

Anxiety symptom trajectories from treatment to 5- to 12-year follow-up across childhood and adolescence.

Objective: The current study examined trajectories of anxiety during (a) acute treatment and (b) extended follow-up to better characterize the long-term symptom trajectories of youth who received evidence-based intervention for anxiety disorders using a person-centered approach.

Method: Participants were 319 youth (age 7-17 years at enrollment), who participated in a multicenter randomized controlled trial for the treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders, Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study, and a 4-year naturalistic follow-up, Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Extended Long-term Study, an average of 6.5 years later.

Clinical Characteristics of Children With Tourette Syndrome With and Without Sleep Disorder.

Background: Sleep problems are common in children with Tourette Syndrome (TS). However, research regarding their demographic and clinical profile is limited.

Methods: We examined characteristics of 114 children aged five to 17 years with a lifetime diagnosis of TS and compared children with sleep disorder (n = 32) and without sleep disorder (n = 82).

Initiation of Pharmacotherapy Following CBT in Anxious Youth: Results From the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS).

To describe youth with anxiety disorders who initiate pharmacotherapy following cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in a prospective, randomized trial and to identify predictors of the decision to use pharmacotherapy. Data from CBT-treated youth (aged 7-17 years, N = 139) in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS), a multisite, randomized controlled trial that examined the efficacy of CBT, sertraline, their combination, and placebo for pediatric anxiety disorders ( criteria), were evaluated. Initiation of pharmacotherapy following acute CBT treatment was examined over a 24-week period; the study was conducted from December 2002 through May 2007.

Childhood Predictors of Long-Term Tic Severity and Tic Impairment in Tourette's Disorder.

Tics peak in late childhood and decline during adolescence. Yet, for some with Tourette's disorder, tics persist into adulthood. We evaluated childhood predictors of adult tic severity and tic impairment, and change over time.

Urge intolerance predicts tic severity and impairment among adults with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders.

Background: Individuals with Tourette Syndrome and Persistent Tic Disorders (collectively TS) often experience premonitory urges-aversive physical sensations that precede tics and are temporarily relieved by tic expression. The relationship between tics and premonitory urges plays a key role in the neurobehavioral treatment model of TS, which underlies first-line treatments such as the Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT). Despite the efficacy of CBIT and related behavioral therapies, less than 40% of adults with TS respond to these treatments.

A systematic review of the effectiveness and safety of droperidol for pediatric agitation in acute care settings.

Objective: Agitation in children in acute care settings poses significant patient and staff safety concerns. While behavioral approaches are central to reducing agitation and oral medications are preferred, parenteral medications are used when necessary to promote safety. The goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of an ultra-short-acting parenteral medication, droperidol, for the management of acute, severe agitation in children in acute care settings.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) impact 10% of the US population, and many patients do not completely respond to first-line treatments (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and psychotherapy).

Clomipramine in Combination with Fluvoxamine: A Potent Medication Combination for Severe or Refractory Pediatric OCD.

Clomipramine (CMI) and fluvoxamine (FLV) combination therapy has been shown in adults to be a potent medication strategy for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Fung et al. (2021) is the first to show similar benefit in pediatric OCD.

Combining selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive behavioral therapy in youth with depression and anxiety.

Background: Treatment studies of children and adolescents with internalizing disorders suggest that the combination of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) consistently produces greater improvement than either treatment alone. We sought to determine how response to combined treatment varies across disorders (anxiety versus depression), and by specific patient characteristics.

Methods: Three large National Institutes of Health-funded trials of children and adolescents with major depression (n = 2) and anxiety disorders (n = 1) were evaluated, each comparing CBT + SSRI to SSRI only, Bayesian Hierarchical Models (BHMs) were used, for endpoint response, time course of response and predictors of response in participants who received SSRI or SSRI+CBT.

Long-term Outcomes of Behavior Therapy for Youth With Tourette Disorder.

Objective: To determine the long-term durability of behavior therapy for tics among youth with Tourette disorder and persistent (chronic) motor or vocal tic disorders.

Method: Of the 126 youth who participated in a randomized controlled trial of behavior therapy 11 years prior, 80 were recruited for this longitudinal follow-up. Consenting participants were interviewed in person or remotely (Web-based video) by trained evaluators to determine the course of tics, current tic severity, and tic-related impairment.

Distinguishing and Managing Acute-Onset Complex Tic-like Behaviors in Adolescence.

Consistent with international reports, this group of Tourette syndrome (TS) experts has noticed a recent increase in adolescents presenting with tic-like symptoms that show a markedly atypical onset and course. These sudden-onset motor movements and vocalizations are often associated with significant impairment and disability, resulting in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for some affected youths.

Editorial: Dialectical Behavior Therapy and the Function of Self-Injury.

The study by Asarnow et al. is the third major paper from a large, federally funded, randomized, controlled trial of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) as compared to Individual and Group Supportive Therapy (IGST) for reducing self-injury in teens. The first paper established the superiority of DBT as compared to IGST.

Assessing Violence Risk in Adolescents in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Systematic Review and Clinical Guidance.

Introduction: Violence risk assessment is one of the most frequent reasons for child and adolescent psychiatry consultation with adolescents in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Here we provide a systematic review of risk factors for violence in adolescents using the risk factor categories from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment study. Further, we provide clinical guidance for assessing adolescent violence risk in the pediatric ED.

The Impact of Failed Antidepressant Trials on Outcomes in Children and Adolescents with Anxiety and Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To identify predictors of medication-placebo differences in double-blind placebo-controlled antidepressant trials in children and adolescents with anxiety and depression. Clinical trials in patients <18 years of age with major depressive disorder or generalized, separation or social anxiety disorders were obtained from PubMed, the Cochrane Database and clinicaltrials.gov searches from inception through 2019.

Homework adherence predicts therapeutic improvement from behavior therapy in Tourette's disorder.

Behavior therapy is a first-line intervention for Tourette's Disorder (TD), and a key component is the practice of therapeutic skills between treatment visits (i.e., homework).

Dysregulation, Catastrophic Reactions, and the Anxiety Disorders.

Normal developmental activities (eg, going to school, raising a hand in class, and managing typical life uncertainties) are 'triggers' for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. To cope, children with anxiety avoid; however, when avoidance of developmentally appropriate activities is not possible, catastrophic responses can ensue. If these catastrophic reactions result in successful avoidance, they are likely to recur leading to a generalized pattern of dysregulated behavior.

Academic, Interpersonal, Recreational, and Family Impairment in Children with Tourette Syndrome and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

This study describes impairment in academic, interpersonal, recreational, and family financial or occupational domains across children in three mutually exclusive diagnostic groups: ever diagnosed with Tourette syndrome (TS), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and both disorders. In 2014, parents reported on impairment and diagnostic status of children aged 4-17 years (n = 3014). Weighted analysis and pairwise t-tests showed more children with ADHD (with or without TS) experienced impairment in overall school performance, writing, and mathematics, relative to children with TS but not ADHD.