Pediatric psychopharmacology outside the U.S.A.

To obtain information on the use of psychotropic drugs children outside the U.S.A., 251 questionnaires were mailed to institutions in 53 countries. Seventy-three responses from 34 countries were analyzed. The percentage of patients receiving drugs under the care of these respondents ranged from 0 to 100% (mean 39%). A total of 56 different drugs were selected for eleven psychiatric disorders. No regional differences were apparent, except for infrequently used drugs. Respondents differed widely in the number of drugs selected and maximum dosages. The most popular drugs used in most disorders were diazepam, thioridazine, chlorpromazine, chlordiazepoxide, imipramine, amitriptyline, haloperidol and methylphenidate. Highest agreements among respondents were for imipramine in enuresis, diazepam in anxiety, chlorpromazine in psychosis and thioridazine in hyperkinesis. The results of this survey illustrate important problems in interpreting cross-cultural data in pediatric psychopharmacology, and recommendations for future research are made.