In several small , single-site RCTs , valproate and sulthiame were better than placebo for the management of recurrent aggression .
Conclusions : Currently available RCTs do not support the efficacy of anticonvulsants as mood stabilizers in children .
There is some preliminary evidence from small RCTs of the efficacy of some anticonvulsants in the control of aggression and behavioral dyscontrol in conduct disorder , autism , and intellectual disability
Aim : Anticonvulsant medications are frequently used in clinical practice to treat psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents , but the evidence for their efficacy is uncertain .
We conducted a systematic review of published r and omized controlled trials ( RCT ) that assessed the psychiatric benefit of anticonvulsants  in patients under 18 years of age .
Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of divalproex monotherapy in the treatment of symptomatic youth at high risk for developing bipolar disorder.
OBJECTIVE To determine if divalproex sodium was superior to placebo in the treatment of symptomatic youths who suffer from a bipolar spectrum disorder and who also have a parent with a diagnosis of a bipolar illness . METHOD Youths , ages 5 to 17 years , meeting DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder not otherwise specified ( NOS ) or cyclothymia who also had at least 1 biological parent with bipolar illness were r and omly assigned in a double-blind fashion to receive treatment with either dival-proex sodium or placebo for up to 5 years . Study participation ended if the subject required additional clinical intervention , if the patient developed treatment-related adverse events , or if the participant was not adherent with study procedures . The primary outcome measure was time to study discontinuation for any reason . The study was conducted from August 1997 to April 2003 . RESULTS Fifty-six youths with a mean ( SD ) age of 10.7 ( 3.1 ) years were r and omly assigned and received either divalproex sodium ( N = 29 ) or placebo ( N = 27 ) . In spite of statistical power of 80 % to detect hazard ratios of 2.2 or larger , the treatment groups did not significantly differ in survival time for discontinuation for any reason ( p = .93 ) or discontinuation due to a mood event ( p = .55 ) . Changes in mood symptom ratings and psychosocial functioning from baseline to study discontinuation did not differ between groups ( most significant p > .14 ) . However , both groups did show improvements in mood symptoms and psychosocial functioning over time ( all p values < .002 ) . One patient , from the placebo group , ended study participation due to an adverse event . CONCLUSION These results suggest that , although well tolerated , divalproex sodium does not produce clinical ly meaningful improvements in the treatment of symptomatic youths suffering from either bipolar NOS or cyclothymia who are at genetic risk for developing bipolar disorder
In several small , single-site RCTs , valproate and sulthiame were better than placebo for the management of recurrent aggression .
Conclusions : Currently available RCTs do not support the efficacy of anticonvulsants as mood stabilizers in children .
There is some preliminary evidence from small RCTs of the efficacy of some anticonvulsants in the control of aggression and behavioral dyscontrol in conduct disorder , autism , and intellectual disability
Aim : Anticonvulsant medications are frequently used in clinical practice to treat psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents , but the evidence for their efficacy is uncertain .
We conducted a systematic review of published r and omized controlled trials ( RCT ) that assessed the psychiatric benefit of anticonvulsants  in patients under 18 years of age .