Population-based study explores rising atypical antipsychotic prescriptions in Korean children with bipolar disorders, suggesting increased treatment needs.
INTRODUCTION: Atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) are increasingly prescribed for bipolar spectrum disorders in children and adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and trends of AAP prescriptions among Korean children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Korean National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to assess AAP use among Koreans aged 0-18 years with bipolar spectrum disorders between 2010 and 2022. This population-based study used an annual cross-sectional assessment to evaluate trends in AAP prescription. RESULTS: The prevalence of AAP prescriptions for children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders increased over the 13-year study period, rising from 0.14 in 2010 up to 1.23 per 1000 persons in 2022. During this time, the dominant AAP shifted from risperidone to aripiprazole. Data from 2022 revealed that the most prescribed AAP for children was aripiprazole, followed by risperidone, quetiapine, and olanzapine. Children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders and psychiatric comorbidities, particularly ADHD, were prescribed AAPs more frequently (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The prescription of AAPs in Korean children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders has increased over the last decade. This trend was particularly pronounced among individuals with psychiatric comorbidities, especially ADHD. Future research is needed to develop more evidence-based AAP treatments for bipolar spectrum disorders in this population.
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Park et al. (2026) studied this question.
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