Pharmacotherapy of Irritability in Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Children and adolescents diagnosed with autism and related pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) often sustain irritability, including aggression, self-injurious behavior, and tantrums. Research to date supports the use of the atypical antipsychotics as a first-line pharmacologic treatment for this target symptom domain in PDDs. Currently, the atypical antipsychotic risperidone is the only medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for irritability in youth with autism. Additional large-scale, placebo-controlled studies of other medications are needed to determine their efficacy for the treatment of irritability in this diagnostic group.