Psychopharmacological treatment of psychotic children. A survey.

Controlled investigations on the psychopharmacological treatment of psychotic children are reviewed. Children with infantile autism might benefit from psychopharmacological medication when they grow older, e.g. above the age of 7 years. Learning might be facilitated when the psychoactive medication is able to inhibit psychotic preoccupations and idiosyncratic reactions. Schizophrenic and manic-depressive psychoses are rarely seen in childhood. A subgroup of the children with infantile autism might develop schizophrenic symptoms. Schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis in children are treated as in adults. Special caution must be paid to the toxic effects of imipramine.