NRNP 6665 PRESCRIBING FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NRNP 6665 PRESCRIBING FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Title: NRNP 6665 PRESCRIBING FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Prescribing for Children and Adolescents
Early in life, depression can strike. The sole treatment option for mild depression in teens and kids is frequent psychotherapy. If the depression indications don’t start to improve after up to eight weeks or if they worsen, an antidepressant medication may be suggested (Hetrick et al., 2021). For children and teenagers with mild to severe depression, psychotherapy, and one or more medications are often required. The phrase used for this is combination therapy. Combo therapy can enhance coping mechanisms, self-esteem, the likelihood that symptoms will subside, and relationships with loved ones. This paper provides three treatment options for addressing depressive disorders in children and adolescents: one medication with FDA approval, one medication used off-label, and one nonpharmacological approach.FDA-Approved Drug
FDA has authorized the use of fluoxetine as the first-line treatment for depressed young patients (Selph & McDonagh, 2019). The medication is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), which carries a higher risk of inciting suicidal thoughts, necessitating cautious observation. The medication has shown promise in reducing depression symptoms in children with 6 to 8 weeks of therapy when administered in modest dosages. The American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics clinical recommendations support using fluoxetine to treat pediatric depression because of its increased safety, tolerability, and reduced risk of side effects (Araz Altay et al., 2019).Off-Label Drug
With their favorable safety profile, SSRIs like Sertraline are frequently used off-label for the treatment of depression in children. The FDA has authorized the medication for the treatment of OCD in children aged 6 and older (Potter et al., 2019). Intoxicating dosages of the medicine have been linked to the possibility of disorientation, hallucinations, and agitation. Yet, compared to other psychotropic drugs, the medicine has shown considerable success in reducing depression symptoms in children when used in tiny dosages and adjusted gradually depending on treatment outcomes. The preponderance of national clinical guidelines, including clinical guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for managing depression in children, suggest it due to its effectiveness, tolerability, and safety among this vulnerable population (Cao et al., 2021).Nonpharmacological Intervention
Non-pharmacological therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and other psychotherapy modalities can also be used to treat childhood depression. Research demonstrates that CBT may effectively treat minor depression on its own, without the need for medication (Liu et al., 2021). In contrast, when depression in children is severe, using CBT in addition to medicine speeds up the recovery of depressed symptoms. Children can develop resilient coping strategies that improve their quality of life. The majority of clinical recommendations, including the NICE guideline, advocate psychotherapeutic intervention as the first line in the care of children with depression due to the advantages of CBT usage.Conclusion
Although the use of antidepressants in children and adolescents has significantly expanded over the past few years, there is still no proof that the advantages exceed the hazards, and treatment-emergent suicidality is still a significant worry. There is undoubtedly a need for more secure and efficient therapies, both pharmaceutical and psychological, as overuse and off-label prescription are serious problems. It is anticipated that this discussion will inspire fresh investigation and insightful debate.References
Araz Altay, M., Bozatlı, L., Demirci Şipka, B., & Görker, I. (2019). Current Pattern of Psychiatric Comorbidity and Psychotropic Drug Prescription in Child and Adolescent Patients. Medicina, 55(5), 159. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55050159 Cao, T. X. D., Fraga, L. F. C., Fergusson, E., Michaud, J., Dell’Aniello, S., Yin, H., Rej, S., Azoulay, L., & Renoux, C. (2021). Prescribing Trends of Antidepressants and Psychotropic Coprescription for Youths in UK Primary Care, 2000-2018. Journal of Affective Disorders, 287, 19–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.022 Hetrick, S. E., McKenzie, J. E., Bailey, A. P., Sharma, V., Moller, C. I., Badcock, P. B., Cox, G. R., Merry, S. N., & Meader, N. (2021). New generation antidepressants for depression in children and adolescents: a network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd013674.pub2 Liu, W., Li, G., Wang, C., Wang, X., & Yang, L. (2021). Efficacy of Sertraline Combined with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine, 2021, 5309588. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5309588 Potter, L. A., Scholze, D. A., Biag, H. M. B., Schneider, A., Chen, Y., Nguyen, D. V., Rajaratnam, A., Rivera, S. M., Dwyer, P. S., Tassone, F., Al Olaby, R. R., Choudhary, N. S., Salcedo-Arellano, M. J., & Hagerman, R. J. (2019). A Randomized Controlled Trial of Sertraline in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00810 Selph, S. S., & McDonagh, M. S. (2019). Depression in Children and Adolescents: Evaluation and Treatment. American Family Physician, 100(10), 609–617. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/1115/p609.html Sample Answer for NRNP 6665 PRESCRIBING FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS Included
PRESCRIBING FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Off-label prescribing is when a physician gives you a drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to treat a condition different than your condition. This practice is legal and common. In fact, one in five prescriptions written today are for off-label use. —Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Psychotropic drugs are commonly used for children and adolescents to treat mental health disorders, yet many of these drugs are not FDA approved for use in these populations. Thus, their use is considered “off-label,” and it is often up to the best judgment of the prescribing clinician. As a PMHNP, you will need to apply the best available information and research on pharmacological treatments for children in order to safely and effectively treat child and adolescent patients. Sometimes this will come in the form of formal studies and approvals for drugs in children. Other times you may need to extrapolate from research or treatment guidelines on drugs in adults. Each individual patient case will need to be considered independently and each treatment considered from a risk assessment standpoint. What psychotherapeutic approach might be indicated as an initial treatment? What are the potential side effects of a particular drug?
For this Assignment, you consider these questions and others as you explore FDA-approved (“on label”) pharmacological treatments, non-FDA-approved (“off-label”) pharmacological treatments, and nonpharmacological treatments for disorders in children and adolescents. Reference: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2015). Off-label drugs: What you need to know. https://www.ahrq.gov/patients-consumers/patient-involvement/off-label-drug-usage.htmlLinks to an external site. 
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity. Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
TO PREPARE
- Your Instructor will assign a specific disorder for you to research for this Assignment.
- Use the Walden library to research evidence-based treatments for your assigned disorder in children and adolescents. You will need to recommend one FDA-approved drug, one off-label drug, and one nonpharmacological intervention for treating this disorder in children and adolescents.
THE ASSIGNMENT (1–2 PAGES)
- Recommend one FDA-approved drug, one off-label drug, and one nonpharmacological intervention for treating your assigned disorder in children and adolescents.
- Explain the risk assessment you would use to inform your treatment decision making. What are the risks and benefits of the FDA-approved medicine? What are the risks and benefits of the off-label drug?
- Explain whether clinical practice guidelines exist for this disorder and, if so, use them to justify your recommendations. If not, explain what information you would need to take into consideration.
- Support your reasoning with at least three scholarly resources, one each on the FDA-approved drug, the off-label, and a non-medication intervention for the disorder. Attach the PDFs of your sources.
BY DAY 7 OF WEEK 3
Submit your Assignment.
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Rubric
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In 1–2 pages, address the following: • Recommend one FDA-approved drug, one off-label drug, and one nonpharmacological intervention for treating your assigned disorder in children and adolescents. |
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| • Explain the risk assessment you would use to inform your treatment decision making. What are the risks and benefits of the FDA-approved medicine? What are the risks and benefits of the off-label drug? |
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| • Explain whether clinical practice guidelines exist for this disorder and, if so, use them to justify your recommendations. If not, explain what information you would need to take into consideration. |
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| • Support your reasoning with at least three scholarly resources, one each on the FDA-approved drug, the off-label, and a non-medication intervention for the disorder. Be sure they are current (no more than 5 years old). Attach the PDFs of your sources. |
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| Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization: Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction are provided that delineate all required criteria. |
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| Written Expression and Formatting – English Writing Standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation |
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| Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/narrative in-text citations, and reference list. |
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| Total Points: 100 | ||||||
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