Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Research in Autism, cilt.132, 2026 (Scopus)
Objective: This study aimed to examine patterns of psychotropic medication use among children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a tertiary-care setting in Turkey with particular attention to differences across age groups and the presence of psychiatric comorbidities. Method: This retrospective study included children and adolescents aged 3–18 years diagnosed with ASD who were admitted to outpatient child psychiatry during 2018. Individuals with intellectual disability, syndromic forms of autism, or chronic medical conditions other than epilepsy were excluded. Clinical data regarding psychiatric comorbidities and psychotropic medication use were obtained from hospital records and descriptively evaluated. Results: Among 490 children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD, 36.5 % were receiving at least one psychotropic medication. The most commonly prescribed agents were antipsychotics (84.4 %), followed by stimulants (63.1 %) Risperidone (64.8 %) and aripiprazole (30.7 %) were the predominant antipsychotics. Psychotropic medication use significantly increased with age (p < 0.001), whereas no significant associations were found with sex or ASD diagnostic subtype. Regression analysis revealed that older age, ADHD, and disruptive behavior disorders, ASD subtype were significant predictors of psychotropic medication use. Conclusion: Psychotropic medication use was common among children and adolescents with ASD, particularly in those with behavioral comorbidities. Age and the presence of ADHD or disruptive behavior disorders emerged as the main factors influencing psychotropic treatment. These findings highlight the need for individualized, evidence-based pharmacological approaches and careful monitoring of medication use patterns across developmental stages.