Patterns of Response to Methylphenidate Administration in Children with ADHD: A Personalized Medicine Approach through Clustering Analysis.

Individual responses to methylphenidate (MPH) can significantly differ in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in terms of the extent of clinical amelioration, optimal dosage needed, possible side effects, and short- and long-term duration of the benefits. In the present repeated-measures observational study, we undertook a proof-of-concept study to determine whether clustering analysis could be useful to characterize different clusters of responses to MPH in children with ADHD. We recruited 33 children with ADHD who underwent a comprehensive clinical, cognitive, and neurophysiological assessment before and after one month of MPH treatment.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: The state of the art of efficacy in children and adolescent with post traumatic stress disorder.

Background: PTSD in youth is more common and debilitating than it was previously thought. This untreated condition is highly correlated to critical mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety disruptive-behaviours, and substance use disorders. Despite the growing number of studies investigating Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in childhood and adolescent, results have not been systematically revised since 2017.

Emerging drugs for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Introduction: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting up to 5.3% of children and 2.5% of adults depending on the country considered.

Second generation antipsychotics in 'real-life' paediatric patients. Adverse drug reactions and clinical outcomes of drug switch.

Objective: Gap in knowledge on benefit/risk ratio of second generation antipsychotics (SGA) in the paediatric population represents a challenge for the scientific community. This study aims to analyse all suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to SGA observed during the study period; compare the safety profiles of risperidone and aripiprazole; evaluate the effect of switching from risperidone to aripiprazole or to a first generation antipsychotic (FGA).

Methods: Prospective analysis of spontaneously reported ADRs concerning 184 paediatric outpatients between 2012 and 2014.

Persistence in Therapy With Risperidone and Aripiprazole in Pediatric Outpatients: A 2-Year Naturalistic Comparison.

Objective: The practical effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotics in children and adolescents is an understudied issue. It is a crucial area of study, though, because such patients are often treated for long-lasting disorders.

Methods: We carried out a 24-month (March 2012-March 2014) observational study on an unselected population of pediatric outpatients treated with risperidone, aripiprazole, olanzapine, or quetiapine aiming to (1) describe drug use, (2) compare post hoc the discontinuation rates due to specific causes and dose adjustments by Kaplan-Meier analyses between drugs, and (3) analyze predictors influencing these outcomes by Cox multivariate models.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of second-generation antipsychotics in pediatric patients: an observational study in real-life settings.

Purpose: Available guidelines on therapeutic drug monitoring of second-generation antipsychotics were designed for adults; therefore, they cannot be transferred as such in pediatric patients, who may have different drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Moreover, available tools that guide dosing in neuropsychiatric pediatric patients are scant, leading to the possibility of reduced efficacy and/or increased risks of toxicity. Here we describe the results of observational therapeutic drug monitoring conducted in three pediatric neuropsychiatry units across Italy in 2012-2014, with the following aims: (1) to describe the distribution of plasma concentrations of second-generation antipsychotics in our pediatric patients and (2) to identify clinical covariates associated with plasma drug levels.

Are non-serious adverse reactions to psychiatric drugs really non-serious?

Objective: The EudraVigilance Pharmacovigilance system classifies the seriousness of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) based on the requirement of hospital care. To date, no systematic study has been conducted on the impact of non-serious ADRs, in terms of therapy continuation and course of the underlying disease. We analyzed a pediatric population receiving psychiatric care and subjected to drug treatment, to assess whether non-serious ADRs do or do not have a relevant clinical impact.