Psychopharmacologic treatment of aggression in children and adolescents.

Knowledge regarding psychopharmacology is increasingly based on clinical trials and rational algorithms. Medications are increasingly regarded as useful adjuncts in the treatment of maladaptive aggression, whether it appears as a target symptom or as a complication of a whole range of psychopathology. Properly integrated into a treatment package that uses psychotherapies and environmental manipulation, medications can provide relief from one of the most destructive forms of psychopathology. Still, more controlled clinical trials are needed, especially those comparing active interventions and those testing the synergistic and antagonistic effects of different treatment modalities.