| The percentage of children and adolescents diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder has risen dramatically over the past decade. In particular, approximately 5% of the pediatric population has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive/impulsive disorder (ADHD). Psychotropic treatment is the most common and successful method used to treat an individual's ADHD symptoms. In general, approximately 6 to 8 million children take a psychotropic medication to treat a diagnosed psychiatric disorder. Specifically, stimulants have been documented to be the most successful psychotropic medication used; however, several other classes of medications may also be used. As the use of psychotropic medications rises, school personnel have been identified as professionals who are positioned to assist in monitoring a student's response to medication treatment. The purpose of this project was to create a reference handbook to help educators increase their knowledge and understanding of psychotropic medications used to treat ADHD.;Keywords: psychotropic medications, ADHD, knowledge, monitoring, educators. |
