Considerations in treating psychoses including schizophrenia in young people

When treating a young person with psychosis, also consider:

• multidisciplinary care should ideally be provided by a specialist service with practitioners experienced in treating psychotic disorders in young people, with close collaboration with the young person’s parents or services (eg educational, juvenile, forensic) as appropriate
• there are fewer data on psychotropic use in young people because young people are poorly represented in clinical trials. Ziprasidone is not an effective antipsychotic for people younger than 18 years with schizophrenia
• young people may be at greater risk of antipsychotic adverse effects including extrapyramidal adverse effects, effects due to elevated blood prolactin concentration, and weight gain
• additional support should be provided when a young person transitions to an adult service, to facilitate effective transfer of care and prevent relapse.