ABSTRACT
If a psychopharmacologic agent is a drug that alters the course of emotional illness, then the choice of subjects for a psychopharmacology textbook depends on what one considers a drug. Several substances that have been tried in childhood psychiatric disorders are not psychoactive drugs in the traditional sense, but include foods, exogenous hormones, and pharmacologic agents that have little or no effect in the normal population. However, some have been widely publicized or are in current use, making it necessary for the practitioner to be familiar with the evidence supporting or refuting their use. Several atypical approaches to child and adolescent psychiatric disorders are discussed here, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic. Only treatments that have received some degree of experimental scrutiny will be covered, including opiate antagonists, nutritional therapy, high-dose vitamin therapy, and thyroid hormone analogues. Due in part to inadequate testing and in part to lackluster results, few of these treatments have a significant place in the physician's armamentarium.
