Aripiprazole in the treatment of psychiatric disorders in childhood

For child psychiatry, the priority task is not only the relief of psychopathological symptoms, but also the preservation and restoration of cognitive functioning. Drugs that are active against a wide range of psychopathological disorders, including the productive, negative, affective, and cognitive domains, while having a favorable tolerance profile, will be the most suitable for solving this problem. The unique therapeutic profile of aripiprazole meets all these requirements. The efficacy and tolerability of Aripiprazole in children and adolescents have been demonstrated in many open-label clinical trials, which served as the basis for the drug’s approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and irritability associated with autistic disorder in children and adolescents. Aripiprazole is also included in national clinical guidelines for the treatment of autistic disorders. The high frequency of prescribing aripiprazole in childhood is due not only to its positive effect on negative, cognitive and affective symptoms, but also to its good general tolerance, low probability of developing extrapyramidal symptoms, absence of adverse effects on body weight and metabolic parameters (lipid profile, tissue sensitivity to insulin, etc.).