This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (4)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Psychiatry  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  • Alert me on articles by topic

Primum Non Nocere

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;157:121-123.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

PRIMUM NON NOCERE is a principle to which medical students are introduced early in their careers and of which they are, or ought to be, reminded throughout their clinical training. It is the principle that reminds us that, in attempting to treat our patients, we should first aim to avoid making their conditions worse. To the extent that clinical practice is guided by well-researched, scientifically validated treatments that are safe and effective, adherence to primum non nocere may be relatively easy. In contrast, many clinical situations are fraught with diagnostic uncertainty. Also, treatment options may not yet have been adequately researched and found safe and effective. In these situations, adherence to primum non nocere requires the application of cautious, thoughtful clinical judgment based on whatever information is available. The practice of prescribing psychotropic medications to young children is just such a situation and is addressed in the report by DeBar . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RELATED ARTICLE

Use of Psychotropic Agents in Preschool Children: Associated Symptoms, Diagnoses, and Health Care Services in a Health Maintenance Organization
Lynn L. DeBar, Frances Lynch, James Powell, and John Gale
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;157(2):150-157.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Trends in the Use of Psychotropic Medications Among Adolescents, 1994 to 2001
Thomas et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2006;57:63-69.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of Medicaid Eligibility Category on Racial Disparities in the Use of Psychotropic Medications Among Youths
Zito et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2005;56:157-163.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prescribing More Psychotropic Medications for Children: What Does the Increase Mean?
Conrad
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2004;158:829-830.
FULL TEXT  

Is Use of Psychotropic Agents Appropriate in Preschool Children?
JWatch Pediatrics 2003;2003:7-7.
FULL TEXT