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Risperidone Reduces Disruptive Behavior and Severe Mood Disregulation in Children: Presented at AACAP

By Jerry Ingram

MIAMI BEACH, FL -- October 17, 2003 -- Risperidone appears to be effective for depressive and manic symptoms common in children with disruptive behavior disorders, according to research presented here October 16^th at the 50^th Anniversary Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

"We found that risperidone was effective in both depressive and manic symptoms in these children with disruptive behavior disorders and we see risperidone as effective not only for disruptive behavior but also improving symptoms of severe mood disregulation," said Stephen V. Faraone, PhD, lead researcher, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

For this analysis Dr. Faraone and his team enrolled 118 children with disruptive behavior disorders, a mean age of 8.4 years, and subaverage Intelligence Quotient. Patients were randomized to risperidone or placebo in a 6-week, double blind study. Investigators evaluated patients using the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form (N-CBRF) to identify mania or depression. They measured change scores from baseline to end point.

Children who were treated with risperidone experienced marked improvements on N-CBRF depression and mania clusters (42.1% and 34.9% change, respectively, P<0.0001 for both). The placebo group also showed some improvement in depressive and manic clusters (25.4% change, P<0.0001, and 15.8% change, P=0.0003, respectively). However, improvements were significantly greater in the risperidone group in terms of both depression and mania indicators (P=0.014 and P=0.001).

Dr. Faraone and his colleagues also noted that children in the risperidone group improved on more individual items than the placebo group. For example, children receiving risperidone showed improvement in "crying, tearful" symptoms (P<0.05), "irritability" (P<0.001), and "feels worthless or inferior" (P<0.001). The placebo group indicated no improvement in these areas of individual symptom analysis, Dr. Faraone said.


[Study title: Risperidone and Affective Symptoms in Children with Disruptive Behavior Disorders. Poster B13]

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