[Risperidone use in child and adolescent psychiatric patients]

In a plural and multidisciplinary process of care, it would be fruitful to ally complementary, pharmacologic and psychodynamic approaches. We have done a review of the literature on the effectiveness and the cautions for prescription of risperidone, a second generation antipsychotic drug. Risperidone has proved helpful in treating children and adolescents with autism spectrum, conduct and bipolar disorders, Tourette's syndrome, and schizophrenia. The principal side effects are sedation, weight gain, and metabolic disturbances. Extrapyramidal symptoms, QTc prolongation, and hyperprolactemia with clinical signs are infrequent and not clinically significant. The benefit/risk is clearly in favor of the prescription when it is accompanied with the precautions and with the adequate monitoring.