Use of First-Line Psychosocial Care for Children and Adolescents on Antipsychotics (APP)

Assesses the percentage of children and adolescents newly started on antipsychotic medications without a clinical indication who had documentation of psychosocial care as first-line treatment.

Why It Matters

Although antipsychotic medications may serve as effective treatment for a narrowly defined set of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents, they are often prescribed for nonpsychotic conditions for which psychosocial interventions are considered first-line treatment.¹ Safer, first-line psychosocial interventions may be underutilized, and children and adolescents may unnecessarily incur the risks associated with antipsychotic medications.

Historical Results – National Averages