Psychopharmacology of the psychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence

The literature on the psychopharmacology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders is reviewed. The scanty epidemiological data suggest that psychotherapeutic drugs are utilized more widely than research findings would warrant, especially in preschool‐age children. With the exception of hyperactivity, the disorders of childhood and adolescence for which the use of psychopharmacological agents is well‐established are rare. This highlights the need for careful prescribing, in which the child's rights, problems with compliance and developmental and behavioural adverse effects are important considerations.