A 26-week open-label study of quetiapine in children with conduct disorder.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the long-term safety and effectiveness of quetiapine in conduct disorder (CD).

Methods: This was an 18-week outpatient follow-up study of an acute trial that enrolled aggressive children ages 6-12 years with a primary diagnosis of CD. To be enrolled into this study, subjects had to have successfully completed participation in the initial 8-week, open-label, outpatient quetiapine trial. Psychometric measures included the Rating of Aggression Against People and/or Property Scale (RAAPP), the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form (NCBRF), the Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-48), the Clinical Global Impressions Scale of Severity (CGI-S), and the Children's Global Assessment Scale.

Results: Nine males with a mean age of 8.9 (SD = 1.2) years were treated. The median quetiapine dose at end of study was 150 mg/day (range 75-350). Mean psychometric scores did not change substantively from baseline. No patients experienced extrapyramidal side effects. Three subjects discontinued due to study nonadherence. No patients discontinued treatment due to an adverse event.

Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that quetiapine might be a generally safe and effective maintenance treatment for aggressive children with CD who initially respond to an acute therapeutic trial of quetiapine. More research is needed to confirm or refute these initial findings.