Risperidone and Autism Ranking:

Audience

Risperidone is licenced by the US Federal Drugs Administration to treat a variety of mental health problems in adults, teenagers and children.

It is also licenced to treat children 6 to 17 years of age who have autistic disorder with irritable behaviour such as aggression, temper tantrums, and frequent mood changes.  In practice, it is sometimes used with older autistic people.

According to American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (2017),

“Risperidone is used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia (a mental illness that causes disturbed or unusual thinking, loss of interest in life, and strong or inappropriate emotions) in adults and teenagers 13 years of age and older. It is also used to treat episodes of mania (frenzied, abnormally excited, or irritated mood) or mixed episodes (symptoms of mania and depression that happen together) in adults and in teenagers and children 10 years of age and older with bipolar disorder (manic depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods). Risperidone is also used to treat behavior problems such as aggression, self-injury, and sudden mood changes in teenagers and children 5 to 16 years of age who have autism (a condition that causes repetitive behavior, difficulty interacting with others, and problems with communication).”

Updated

17 Jun 2022

Last Review

01 Jul 2018

Next Review

01 Jul 2024