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National Institutes of Health

NIMH Pages about Medications

Publications

Treatment of Children with Mental Illness
Answers to frequently asked questions about the treatment of mental disorders in children.
Date: 2009
Mental Health Medications
This guide describes the types of medications used to treat mental disorders, side effects of medications, directions for taking medications, and includes any FDA warnings.
Date: 2008

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Science News

Clinical Tests Begin on Medication to Correct Fragile X Defect
November 02, 2009 • Press Release
NIH-supported scientists at Seaside Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass., are beginning a clinical trial of a potential medication designed to correct a central neurochemical defect underlying Fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability. There has to date been no medication that could alter the disorder’s neurologic abnormalities. The study will evaluate safety, tolerability, and optimal dosage in healthy volunteers.
Significant Weight Gain, Metabolic Changes Associated with Antipsychotic Use in Children
October 27, 2009 • Science Update
Many children and adolescents who receive antipsychotic medications gain a significant amount of weight and experience metabolic changes, according to NIMH-funded research published October 28, 2009, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Combination Treatment for Psychotic Depression Holds Promise
August 07, 2009 • Science Update
A combination of an atypical antipsychotic medication and an antidepressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) may be more effective in treating psychotic depression than an atypical antipsychotic alone, according to results from an NIMH-funded clinical study.
Questions Raised About Stimulants and Sudden Death
June 15, 2009 • Science Update
A study examining stimulant use among children and adolescents found an association between stimulants and sudden unexplained death in youth with no evidence of pre-existing heart disease. The finding draws attention to the potential risks of stimulant medication, according to the study’s authors; an accompanying editorial notes that the rarity of sudden unexplained death and the lack of long-term data on the effectiveness of these medications for reducing other health risks make a full benefit/risk assessment difficult.
Citalopram No Better Than Placebo Treatment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
June 01, 2009 • Press Release
Citalopram, a medication commonly prescribed to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors, according to researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and other NIH institutes. The study was published in the June 2009 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

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Meeting Summaries

The 13th NIMH Biennial Research Conference on the Economics of Mental Health
September 25, 2006 – September 26, 2006
Bethesda, Maryland
In September 2006, the NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR) sponsored a national research conference on mental health economics.
NIMH/National Business Group on Health Roundtable on Medication Management in Employer-Based Behavioral Health Systems
July 01, 2006
Washington, DC
The Services Research and Clinical Epidemiology Branch of the NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research held this one-day meeting to identify relevant research findings for employers and to discuss new opportunities to bridge the gap between research and practice.
NCDEU Meeting
June 01, 2006
Boca Raton, Florida
Named after the original NIMH New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit clinical trials program, the NCDEU meeting has grown and evolved over the years to include a broad range of academic and industry investigators, practitioners, and NIMH and FDA staff.

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Director’s Updates

NIMH Perspective on Diagnosing and Treating Bipolar Disorder in Children
September 03, 2007
A recently published research paper (September 2007, Archives of General Psychiatry) reported a 40-fold increase in the rate of diagnosing bipolar disorder in youth over the past decade.
NIMH Perspective on Antipsychotic Reimbursement: Using Results from the CATIE Cost Effectiveness Study
December 01, 2006
The recent publication (December 1, 2006, American Journal of Psychiatry) of the cost-effectiveness results from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials in Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) has raised questions among advocates, families, and clinicians about reimbursement policies for antipsychotic medications.
NIMH Perspective on Treating Alzheimer’s Patients with Antipsychotic Medications
October 12, 2006
The recent publication of phase 1 results from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials in Intervention Effectiveness for Alzheimer's disease (CATIE-AD) in the New England Journal of Medicine provides new information about the use of several "atypical" antipsychotic medications for the treatment of psychotic symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

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