Treating Children and Adolescents with Aggressive Behaviors in the Inpatient Setting

The mental health crisis in children and adolescents presents a unique challenge for pediatric providers in the inpatient setting. Patients are presenting to the emergency department in acute psychiatric crises, but the increased need for behavioral health services is met with an already limited supply of behavioral health services and facilities. As such, these patients are hospitalized on acute care floors, which can serve to exacerbate symptoms of aggression regardless of cause and complicates treatment and harm prevention strategies. We present a comprehensive management approach to the acutely agitated pediatric patient with aggressive behaviors, including prevention of symptoms in patients with risk factors; nonpharmacological approaches to de-escalation, including the use of restraint; and common oral and parenteral psychopharmacological agents. Such strategies are considered from a medical, ethical, and legal standpoint with the goal of maintaining safety and minimizing harm to patients, families, and staff. [.