{"id":3021,"date":"2025-08-01T07:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T11:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncqa.org\/?page_id=3021"},"modified":"2026-01-30T07:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:05:03","slug":"use-of-first-line-psychosocial-care-for-children-and-adolescents-on-antipsychotics-app","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ncqa.org\/report-cards\/health-plans\/state-of-health-care-quality-report\/use-of-first-line-psychosocial-care-for-children-and-adolescents-on-antipsychotics-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Use of First-Line Psychosocial Care for Children and Adolescents on Antipsychotics (APP)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW237389 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW237389 BCX0\">The percentage of persons 1\u201317 years of age who had a new prescription for an antipsychotic medication and had documentation of psychosocial care as first-line treatment.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW237389 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Why It Matters<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Although antipsychotic medications may serve as effective treatment for a narrowly defined set of psychiatric disorders in children, they are often prescribed for nonpsychotic conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and disruptive behaviors <sup>(1,2,3)<\/sup>, conditions for which psychosocial interventions are considered first-line treatment <sup>(4,5)<\/sup>. Thus, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">clinicians may be underutilizing safer first-line psychosocial interventions and using antipsychotics for nonprimary indications in children and adolescents.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:180,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Antipsychotic medications are associated with a number of potential adverse impacts, including weight gain and diabetes <sup>(6,7,8)<\/sup>, which can have serious implications for future health outcomes. Children without primary indication for an antipsychotic and who are not given the benefit of a trial of psychosocial treatment first, may unnecessarily incur the risks associated with antipsychotic medications. Mental health conditions in youth are associated with a number of potential adverse effects, including increased risk for substance use <sup>(9)<\/sup>. To the extent that psychosocial interventions are associated with better outcomes <sup>(10,11,12)<\/sup>, underuse of these therapies may lead to poorer mental and physical health outcomes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:180,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In the absence of a Food and Drug Administration indication for an antipsychotic medication, guidelines recommend that psychosocial treatments be provided prior to initiating an antipsychotic <sup>(13,14,15)<\/sup>. Guidelines for individual conditions that recommend use of antipsychotics in the absence of a primary indication address the use of psychosocial interventions prior to use of an antipsychotic. Treatment guidelines for management of aggression <sup>(16)<\/sup> and disruptive behavior disorders all endorse psychosocial interventions as first-line treatment.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:180}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">*<\/span><\/i> <i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Developed with financial support from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and CMS under the CHIPRA Pediatric Quality Measures Program Centers of Excellence grant number U18HS020503, from a measure developed by MedNet Medical Solutions.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:90,&quot;335559738&quot;:120,&quot;335559991&quot;:90}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-teams=\"true\">Historical Results \u2013 National Averages<\/span><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The percentage of persons 1\u201317 years of age who had a new prescription for an antipsychotic medication and had documentation of psychosocial care as first-line treatment.\u00a0 Why It Matters Although antipsychotic medications may serve as effective treatment for a narrowly defined set of psychiatric disorders in children, they are often prescribed for nonpsychotic conditions such [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":733,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3021","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - 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