Zyprexa

That is an increase from 8.6 out of every 1,000 children in the mid-1990s to nearly 40 out of 1,000.

But more than half of the prescriptions were for attention deficit and other nonpsychotic conditions, the researchers said.

The findings are worrisome “because it looks like these medications are being used for large numbers of children in a setting where we don’t know if they work,” said lead author Dr.

William Cooper, a pediatrician at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.

The increasing use of anti-psychotics since the mid-1990s corresponds with the introduction of costly and heavily marketed medications such as The packaging information for both says their safety and effectiveness in children have not been established.

Anti-psychotics are intended for use against schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses.

Attention-deficit disorder, however, sometimes is accompanied by temper outbursts and other disruptive behavior.

As a result, some doctors prescribe anti-psychotics to these child...

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