Use of medication prescribed for emotional or behavioral difficulties among children aged 6-17 years in the United States, 2011-2012.

Mental health problems are common chronic conditions in children (1-3). Medication is often prescribed to treat the symptoms of these conditions (4-7). Few population-based studies have examined the use of prescription medication to treat mental health problems among younger as well as older school-aged children (8-10). This report describes the sociodemographic characteristics of children aged 6-17 years prescribed medication or taking medication during the past 6 months for emotional or behavioral difficulties, and describes parental reports of the perceived benefit of this medication. All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.