TY  - JOUR
AU  - O'Connor, Hannah
AU  - Biederman, Joseph
AU  - DiSalvo, Maura
AU  - Joshi, Gagan
AU  - Faraone, Stephen V.
AU  - Wozniak, Janet
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/06/04
TI  - Is Stimulant Treatment in Children and Adolescents with Mood Dysregulation Associated with Adverse Outcomes?
JO  - OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine
SP  - 031
VL  - 09
IS  - 02
AB  - The aim of this paper is to examine effects of stimulant treatment in children and adolescents with high levels of emotional dysregulation in a psychiatric outpatient clinic. Subjects were referred children and adolescents 6-17 years of age who presented to a child psychiatric outpatient clinic between September 2016-November 2021 and received a prescription for a stimulant medication. Children were stratified into those with low and high levels of emotional dysregulation as defined by an aggregate T-score of <180 or ≥210 on the combined Attention Problems, Aggressive Behavior, and Anxious/Depressed subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; CBCL-AAA). We analyzed patient prescription, diagnosis, and hospital visit data extracted from the electronic medical record from any time prior to referral through three months after referral. Patients with higher CBCL-AAA scores at clinic intake had a significantly different medication and diagnosis profile and were more likely to have a higher dosage of stimulants than patients with lower scores. These patients also were more likely to receive an additional medication class during follow-up, which was driven by second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs). Emergency room visits and inpatient psychiatric admissions were rare but present only in the group with higher CBCL-AAA scores. These results suggest that stimulant treatment affects youth with high versus low levels of emotional dysregulation adversely with a need for higher stimulant doses and treatment augmentation with SGAs. The CBCL may be a useful tool for identifying poor outcomes with stimulant treatment.
SN  - 2573-4393
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.icm.2402031
DO  - 10.21926/obm.icm.2402031
ID  - O'Connor2024
ER  -