This book succeeds Review of Medical Pharmacology , by Meyers, Jawetz, and Goldfien. Edited by B. G. Katzung, some of the important areas covered include drug receptors and pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics of absorption and biotransformation of drugs, autonomic pharmacology of cholinergic and adrenergic receptor stimulants and antagonists, antihypertensive agents, cardiac glycosides and other agents used in the treatment of congestive heart failure, therapeutic drugs for cardiac arrhythmias, diuretics, pharmacology of the CNS drugs such as anticonvulsants and anesthetics, antidepressants, narcotic analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, endocrine pharmacology, antimicrobial and antimycobacterial drugs, antiprotozoal and antihelmintic drugs, cancer chemotherapy, and drugs and the immune system. Written by several prominent researchers and scientists, each chapter begins with a section on the basic pharmacology, chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of the agents under discussion. This is followed by a section on clinical pharmacology, which deals with relevant information regarding the clinical use of drugs on the various

Basic and Clinical Pharmacology

Early evidence on the effects of regulators' suicidality warnings on SSRI prescriptions and suicide in children and adolescents

Selective Serotonin Re‐Uptake Inhibitor Antidepressants

Our aims are to understand and predict school disorder so that we may suggest to policymakers and administrators a promising set of practical strategies to cope with delinquency and disruption in schools, and to find more efficient ways to prevent dilinquency in general. This book describes progress toward our goal by summarizing some ecological analyses of natural variations in the rates of disruptive behavior across schools. We seek to learn about the social behavior of human aggregates and the ways in which these behaviors are influenced by the characteristics of the broader community, the social composition of schools, and by specific practices and climates of the institutions involved. In contrast to most research on youth development or delinquency, the present research takes the school (not the individual person) as the unit of analysis.

Scope of the Research

Until recently, the use of antidepressant (ATD) drugs by young people for the treatment of psychiatric and behavioural disorders had increased in Europe and the United States. However in 2003, regulatory agencies worldwide restricted the use of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other newer ATDs by children and adolescents due to their association with an increased risk of suicidal ideation and behaviour. The extent of use of these drugs by young people in UK general practice both before and after the restrictions was unknown. It was unclear when young people discontinued treatment for depression and whether this depended on the class of ATD prescribed. The impact of the restrictions on the clinical practices of specialist clinicians was also unknown. This thesis aimed to: 1) evaluate literature data on suicidality risk and newer ATDs; 2) investigate psychotropic drug prescribing trends, focusing on ATD use in general practice before and after the regulatory changes, and investigate treatment cessation for depression; 3) assess specialists' practices and opinions on the regulatory changes. Systematic literature review, pharmacoepidemiological techniques using large clinical databases (IMS Prescribing Insights, the General Practice Research Database, and IMS Disease Analyzer-Mediplus), and survey methods were employed. Global use of psychotropic drugs by young people increased between 2000 and 2002; prescription volume rose by 68% in the UK. Between 1992 and 2001, ATD prescribing to children and adolescents (≤18 years) increased by 70%, with SSRIs gaining popularity compared with tricyclic ATDs. However, between 2002 and 2004, the use of the restricted drugs declined by a third. More than half of depressed patients treated with ATDs discontinue or switch treatment within two months. In response to the regulatory changes specialist clinicians have restricted their use of ATDs despite some disagreeing with them. Resources for psychological therapies such as cognitive-behavioural therapy are limited.

Macey Lee Murray

Papers

Epidemiology of antidepressant drug prescribing to young people