Skip to main content

Abstract

Objective:

Antipsychotic use among young children has grown rapidly despite a lack of approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for broad use in this age group. Characteristics of physicians who prescribed antipsychotics to young children were identified, and prescribing patterns involving young children and adults were compared.

Methods:

Physician-level prescribing data from IMS Health’s Xponent database were linked with American Medical Association Masterfile data and analyzed. The sample included all U.S. psychiatrists and a random sample of 5% of family medicine physicians who wrote at least ten antipsychotic prescriptions per year from 2008 to 2011 (N=31,713). Logistic and hierarchical binomial regression models were estimated to examine physician prescribing for children ages zero to nine, and the types and numbers of ingredients used for children versus adults ages 20 to 64 were compared.

Results:

Among antipsychotic prescribers, 42.2% had written at least one antipsychotic prescription for young children. Such prescribing was more likely among physicians age ≤39 versus ≥60 (odds ratio [OR]=1.70) and physicians in rural versus nonrural areas (OR=1.11) and was less likely among males (OR=.93) and graduates of a top-25 versus a lower-ranked U.S. medical school (OR=.87). Among physicians who prescribed antipsychotics to young children and adults, 75.0% of prescriptions for children and 35.7% of those for adults were for drugs with an FDA-approved indication for that age. Fewer antipsychotic agents were prescribed for young children (median=2) versus adults (median=7).

Conclusions:

Prescribing antipsychotics for young children was relatively common, but prescribing patterns differed between young children and adults.

Formats available

You can view the full content in the following formats:

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services

Cover: pocket watch, by Robert et Courvoisier, 1800–1816. Silver, brass, ormuolu, enamel, and steel. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont, Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Del.

Psychiatric Services
Pages: 1307 - 1314
PubMed: 27417891

History

Received: 5 June 2015
Revision received: 10 November 2015
Revision received: 8 January 2016
Revision received: 7 March 2016
Accepted: 12 April 2016
Published online: 15 July 2016
Published in print: December 01, 2016

Authors

Details

Haiden A. Huskamp, Ph.D.
Dr. Huskamp and Dr. Normand are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston (e-mail: [email protected]). Dr. Horvitz-Lennon is with the RAND Corporation, Boston. Dr. Berndt is with the MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Donohue is with the Health Policy and Management Department, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.
Marcela Horvitz-Lennon, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Huskamp and Dr. Normand are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston (e-mail: [email protected]). Dr. Horvitz-Lennon is with the RAND Corporation, Boston. Dr. Berndt is with the MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Donohue is with the Health Policy and Management Department, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.
Ernst R. Berndt, Ph.D.
Dr. Huskamp and Dr. Normand are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston (e-mail: [email protected]). Dr. Horvitz-Lennon is with the RAND Corporation, Boston. Dr. Berndt is with the MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Donohue is with the Health Policy and Management Department, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.
Sharon-Lise T. Normand, Ph.D.
Dr. Huskamp and Dr. Normand are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston (e-mail: [email protected]). Dr. Horvitz-Lennon is with the RAND Corporation, Boston. Dr. Berndt is with the MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Donohue is with the Health Policy and Management Department, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.
Julie M. Donohue, Ph.D.
Dr. Huskamp and Dr. Normand are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston (e-mail: [email protected]). Dr. Horvitz-Lennon is with the RAND Corporation, Boston. Dr. Berndt is with the MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Donohue is with the Health Policy and Management Department, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.

Notes

Preliminary findings from this study were presented at the Workshop on Costs and Assessment in Psychiatry, Venice, Italy, March 27–29, 2015.

Competing Interests

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

National Institute of Mental Health10.13039/100000025: R01 MH087488, R01 MH093359
This research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH093359 and R01 MH087488).

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard

View Options

View options

PDF/EPUB

View PDF/EPUB

Full Text

View Full Text

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login
Purchase Options

Purchase this article to access the full text.

PPV Articles - Psychiatric Services

PPV Articles - Psychiatric Services

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share