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Psychiatric Diagnoses and Psychotropic Medications in CHARGE Syndrome: A Pediatric Survey

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Abstract

Many children diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome demonstrate behavioral difficulties in addition to visual, hearing and other systemic impairments. Previous research has reported that children with CHARGE have increased rates of self-injury and aggression, as well as increased frequency of obsessive compulsive and autism spectrum disorders. This study asked parents to report not only the diagnoses given for their child’s behavior problems, but also whether psychotropic medication interventions were prescribed, and which agents were chosen. Results of this study showed that according to parental report, anxiety disorders and pervasive developmental disorders were the most common psychiatric diagnoses assigned with antidepressant and antipsychotic medications the most frequently prescribed psychopharmacological agents.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the many CHARGE parents for their tireless efforts in completing multiple surveys about their children. Our gratitude goes out as well to the CHARGE children for allowing us to learn more them.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurobehavioral Unit, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Lee E. Wachtel

  2. Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

    Timothy S. Hartshorne & A. Nichole Dailor

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  1. Lee E. Wachtel
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  2. Timothy S. Hartshorne
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  3. A. Nichole Dailor
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Correspondence to Lee E. Wachtel.

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Wachtel, L.E., Hartshorne, T.S. & Dailor, A.N. Psychiatric Diagnoses and Psychotropic Medications in CHARGE Syndrome: A Pediatric Survey. J Dev Phys Disabil 19, 471–483 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-007-9064-6

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