Using Psychotropic Medications with our Complex Youth

The use of psychotropic medications has been a primary component of multidisciplinary residential treatment for many years. With an emphasis on “evidence-based” care, it’s important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of these powerful treatments. As youth may have multiple diagnoses, they will likely be on numerous medications, yet we have little understanding of the complicated impact of these combinations. This presentation will discuss “best practice” standards and offer a critical review to examine the evidence, and disadvantages, of medication strategies in the treatment of troubled youth. The use of medications will also be considered related to factors of race & the overall system of providing mental health services.