DCF and UVM Create New Program to Improve Antipsychotic Medication Prescribing

A new combined effort between the Vermont Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Vermont Department of Mental Health, and the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program at the Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families (VCCYF) will support caseworkers who often need to make complex medical decisions regarding the children under their care. While […]

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Vermont Youth Prescribed Fewer Antipsychotic Medications

Newly analyzed data from the Department of Vermont Health Access is revealing important trends regarding psychiatric medication use in Vermont children and adolescents.  The data examines Medicaid insured youth who took at least one medication in various classes (antidepressants, ADHD medications, antipsychotics, etc.) over the course of the year, comparing rates between 2009, 2011, and […]

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Limiting Antipsychotic Medications Shows Long-Term Benefits

The renewed debate surrounding the risk/benefit ratio of using antipsychotic medications for new onset psychotic illness has challenged the traditional recommendation of continued medication treatment for at least one year after remission.  While previous studies have documented an increased rates of relapse among those whose medications are discontinued, this risk is weighed against the potential […]

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Trends in Antipsychotic Medication Use 1993-2009

A new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry reports on the increasing use of antipsychotic medications in youth.  The study analyzed nearly half a million medical visits over a 17 year span (1993 through 2009).  Results showed that the number of medical visits that included an antipsychotic medication per 100 persons rose in children […]

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