Examining psychotropic medication use among youth in the U.S. by race/ethnicity and psychological impairment

Clinical practice guidelines underscore the need for careful evaluation of the risk-benefit ratio of psychotropic medications treating mental health disorders among youth. While it is well known that racial/ethnic disparities exist in psychotropic medication use, little is known about whether these differences are driven by over-prescribing among white youth, under-prescribing among minority youth, or both. To build evidence in this area, this study examined racial/ethnic differences in the prescription of psychotropic medications among youth with and without psychological impairment.

Source: General Hospital Psychiatry - December 14, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Benjamin L ê Cook, Nicholas J. Carson, E. Nilay Kafali, Anne Valentine, Juan David Rueda, Sarah Coe-Odess, Susan Busch Source Type: research