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PURPOSE: The present study aimed to assess the psychiatric characteristics of children with chronic functional constipation using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Japanese version and the Pervasive Developmental Disorders/Autism Society Japan Rating Scale, and to examine the frequency of autism spectrum disorder in children with chronic functional constipation. We also investigated differences in treatment duration between children with and without autism spectrum disorder. METHODS: Treatment outcomes were examined retrospectively for 55 participants (chronic functional constipation group: n = 30, mean age 3.4 years; control group: n = 25, mean age, 4.5 years). The association between chronic functional constipation and autism spectrum disorder was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean Aberrant Behavior Checklist score and frequency of individuals with autism spectrum disorder were significantly higher in the chronic functional constipation group. After adjusting for age and sex, chronic functional constipation was significantly associated with autism spectrum disorder. In the chronic functional constipation group, the frequency of onset was significantly higher in children with autism spectrum disorder under 1 year of age. When treated, the mean duration of constipation was significantly longer in children with autism spectrum disorder. CONCLUSION: Pediatricians, pediatric surgeons, and child psychiatrists should work closely to ensure appropriate treatment of chronic functional constipation in children with autism spectrum disorder.
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OBJECTIVE: Recently, excessive and off-label prescribing of psychotropic drugs for children and adolescents have become a problem. Child and adolescent psychiatric patients receive treatment in many departments and department-specific psychotropic drug use has not been analyzed. We surveyed prescriptions for child and adolescent psychiatric outpatients during their first year of treatment. METHODS: The participants were 302 patients, 15 years or younger, who made their first visit to the outpatient psychiatry department of Tokai University Hospital from September 1, 2015 to September 1, 2016. Prescription details and patient profiles were retrospectively investigated using medical records. RESULTS: Medication was prescribed for 20.9% of patients (63/302) with the prescription rate increasing with age. Psychotropic drugs were prescribed for 15.6% of patients (48/302), with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications being most frequently prescribed (20 cases). Other than psychotropic drugs, iron pills (25 cases) and herbal medicines (21 cases) were prescribed frequently. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacotherapy and psychotropic prescription rates were low. This may be due to the use of non-pharmacological interventions and the lack of inpatient facilities. With the publication of guidelines for pharmacotherapy in child psychiatry in Japan, measuring the patterns of psychotropic drug prescription in children and adolescents is important, and would make treatment more transparent.