Objective: Psychotic disorders include severe mental disorders which are characterized by extreme impairment of a person’s ability to think clearly, respond emotionally, communicate effectively, understand reality, and behave appropriately. The diagnosis of psychotic disorders in children and adolescents is often complex and challenging. The treatment of psychotic disorders in adolescents can challenge even the most experienced clinicians. In addition to the difficulties posed by the disorder itself, the emerging independence of the adolescent and concerns about autonomy may decrease compliance with treatment. Hospitalization at the time of initial diagnosis is almost always indicated. This allows for a comprehensive evaluation and implementation of a treatment plan that includes pharmacotherapy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the treatment of psychotic inpatients.
Method: Data of the patients hospitalized in Ege University Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Inpatient Unit during 2 years with psychotic disorder (n=25) was assessed. The statistical analyses were evaluated using SPSS 16.0 program.
Results: Fifty-two percent (n=13) of patients with psychotic disorders were male and 48% (n=12) were female. Mean age of patients was 15.04±1.39. Patients’ hospitalization period varied from 7 to 93 days and the mean duration was 44.52±23.23. It was found that 100% (n=25) of the patients were using antipsychotics, 56% (n=14) were using antidepressants, 40% (n=10) were using anxiolytics and 16% (n=4) were using mood stabilizer drugs. Of the patients that were on antipsychotic treatment, 16% (n=4) were using one, 48% (n=12) were using two and 36% (n=9) were using three antipsychotics. Risperidone (76%) was the most selected drug in antipsychotic treatment. According to the frequency of the drug usage in antipsychotic treatment, the other drugs were aripiprazole (56%), olanzapine (32%), quetiapine (24%), haloperidol (16%), clozapine (12%) and chlorpromazine (4%).
Conclusion: Early psychosis and its treatment and the early detection of psychosis are important. Pharmacological intervention is necessary for remission, improvement of positive symptoms and to aid with the efficacy of psychosocial interventions. There is a lack of efficacy and safety data for the use of antipsychotic medication in children, with most of the information available being extrapolations of adult data. An increased use of atypical antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of psychotic disorders in childhood and adolescence has been accompanied by growing concern about the appropriate use and associated side effects in children and adolescents.