Study: Common Autism Medication Ineffective for Repetitive Behaviors
Seattle Children’s Research Institute
A medication commonly prescribed to children with autism was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors, according to clinical trial led by a researcher at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Citalopram, the generic name for the antidepressant Celexa, is also prescribed for patients with obsessive compulsive disorders, so the study results – published in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry – may challenge the widely held belief that repetitive behaviors in children on the autism spectrum are similar to repetitive behaviors often exhibited by people with OCD.
“Even as our understanding of autism grows, so much still remains a mystery,” says Bryan H. King, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Seattle Children’s Hospital and professor and vice chairman of psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
“While our study’s findings may be frustrating news for hopeful families and clinicians, each new finding helps us to re-examine and revise treatment plans, refine future studies and build upon what we know as we search for effective treatments and eventually cures for this complex group of disorders.”
