Who Followed the Guidelines?
Psychiatrists were significantly more likely to follow best practice guidelines than nonpsychiatrists. Antipsychotic medications were typically prescribed only after other pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments were ineffective, although previous treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy was uncommon (15.5%). Metabolic monitoring that included serial laboratory tests was reported in 57.2% of cases.
Psychiatrists or psychiatric nurse practitioners made up 45.1% of the individual prescribers surveyed (22.2% were child psychiatrists), and they wrote 65.2% of the antipsychotic prescriptions. About half of the prescribers (52.2%) were primary care doctors, including pediatricians (30.6%) and family physicians (16.0%).
A "large" minority (42.4%) of prescriptions were initiated by someone other than the current prescriber, most often (66.2%) by a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner, and 31.8% were started in an inpatient or residential facility.
By a wide margin, aggression and mood instability were the top reasons for starting an antipsychotic. Other medications, such as stimulants and antidepressants, were often tried first. In only 5.4% of the cases was an antipsychotic medication used as a first-line pharmacologic treatment.
Overall, these data suggest that antipsychotics are not being used "casually or in a 'knee-jerk' manner for relatively low-level behaviors," the authors write. The results also suggest that when an antipsychotic is prescribed off label or for non-first-line indications, it is given only after other medications and nondrug therapies have failed.
They note potential initiatives that could assist doctors prescribing antipsychotics include use of electronic medical records to remind doctors of the necessary blood work; increased access to evidence-based therapies that can help alleviate anxiety, depression, and oppositional behavior; better training and consultation for doctors who do not initially prescribe the medicine but are responsible for monitoring patients receiving it; and improved access to medical information across centers, so that doctors who prescribe the medications know the history of prior treatment.
The researchers note that in Vermont, use of antipsychotics for pediatric patients is declining. Since 2009, the prescription rate has fallen by 45% for children aged 6 to 12 years, and by 27% for those aged 13 to 17 years.
This research was supported by the Department of Vermont Health Access and the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program. DrRettew receives royalties from WW Norton & Company andPsychologyToday. The other authors have disclosed no relevant financial relatinships.
Pediatrics. Published online March 2, 2015.