Efficacy and tolerability of second generation antipsychotics in children and adolescents with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin 2008

Early-onset schizophrenia-spectrum (EOSS) disorders (onset of psychotic symptoms before 18 years of age) rep-resent a severe variant associated with significant chronic functional impairment and poor response to antipsychotic treatment. All drugs with proven antipsychotic effects block dopamine D2 receptors to some degree. The ongoing development of the dopamine and other neurotransmitter receptor systems during childhood and adolescence may af-fect clinical response and susceptibility to side effects in youth. A literature search was conducted of clinical trials of antipsychotics in children and adolescents with EOSS disorders between 1980 and 2007 from the Medline data-base, reference lists, and conference proceedings. Trials were limited to double-blind studies of duration of 4 or more weeks that included 15 or more patients. Ten clinica