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Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) include autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder and pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). One long-term, placebo discontinuation study found that relapse rates did not differ between children/adolescents randomised to continue aripiprazole versus children/adolescents randomised to receive placebo, suggesting that re-evaluation of aripiprazole use after a period of stabilisation in irritability symptoms is warranted. Antipsychotics have been used as a medication intervention for irritability related to ASD. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Use of second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) has increased in recent years; however, their use and effect on metabolic outcomes has been poorly characterised in population-level studies.AimsThis study aimed to determine the associations between SGA use and metabolic indicators in a general population., Method: We used data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey, a cross-sectional survey of Canadian households. Participants were Canadians aged 3-79 years, living in one of the ten provinces. Several metabolic indicators were examined, including weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hypertension, diabetes and two definitions of metabolic syndrome., Results: The proportion of Canadians taking an SGA tripled over the study period. SGA use was significantly associated with hypertension (odds ratio 1.94, 95% CI 1.07-3.55) and abdominal obesity in adults, as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (odds ratio 2.62, 95% CI 1.45-4.71)., Conclusions: Evidence of metabolic dysfunction with SGAs is seen in the Canadian population, along with a rapid increase in prevalence of use since 2007.Declaration of interestNone.

Background: Previous research suggests a relationship between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use, however most studies have focused on adolescents or young adults, or clinically ascertained samples., Aims: To analyse population-based data on the relationship between ADHD and at-risk health behaviours in adolescents and adults., Method: Data were derived from a Statistics Canada population-based health survey. The association between the diagnosis of ADHD and smoking, alcohol use, and illicit drug use was examined., Results: Individuals with ADHD started smoking at a younger age. They consumed more alcoholic drinks on drinking days, and women with ADHD were more likely to engage in binge drinking. Women over the age of 25 and men with ADHD were more likely to meet alcohol-dependence lifetime criteria. People with ADHD were at a greater risk of drug misuse and dependence., Conclusions: People with ADHD are more likely to partake in at-risk behaviours., Declaration of Interest: None., Copyright and Usage: © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license.