Practice Parameters

Guidelines, Updates, and Parameters

For 40 years, the AACAP Committee on Quality Issues (CQI) has been charged with the development of documents intended to inform clinical practice in child and adolescent psychiatry. Since the early Practice Parameters series, the development process for these documents has become increasingly rigorous and transparent, and for the new Clinical Practice Guideline series, the development process is consistent with recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) regarding "trustworthy guidelines".

Practice Parameters (now discontinued), authored by topic experts and the CQI, were intended to inform the practice of child and adolescent psychiatry in a wide variety of topic areas. By standard convention, Practice Parameters, Clinical Practice Guidelines, and Clinical Updates become outdated after 5 years, as they have not been updated to reflect current knowledge and practice, and as such should be accessed for historical purposes only.

Clinical Practice Guidelines & Practice Parameters

Clinical Updates and Practice Parameters

Clinical Practice Guidelines & Practice Parameters

Disorder	AACAP Clinical Practice Guidelines or Practice Parameters	Other Professional Organization Clinical Practice Guidelines	AHRQ Literature Reviews
ADHD			ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment in Children and Adolescents March 2024
Antipsychotics			First- and Second-Generation Antipsychotics in Children and Young Adults: Systematic Review Update March 2017
Anxiety	Clinical Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders JAACAP Volume 59 October 2020		Anxiety in Children August 2017
Autism	Practice Parameter Autism JAACAP Volume 53 February 2014	Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: support and management, Clinical guideline [CG170] Published: 28 August 2013 Last updated: 14 June 2021
Bipolar Disorder	Practice Parameter Bipolar Disorders JAACAP Volume 46 January 2007	Bipolar disorder: assessment and management NICE Clinical guideline [CG185] Published: 24 September 2014 Last updated: 21 December 2023
Depression	Clinical Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Major and Persistent Depressive Disorders JAACAP Article in Press October 2022	Depression in children and young people: identification and management NICE guideline [NG134] Published: 25 June 2019	Treatment of Depression in Children and Adolescents April 2020
Disruptive Behavior Disorders			Treating Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children and Teens August 2016
Eating Disorders	Practice Parameter Eating Disorders JAACAP Volume 54, May 2015	Eating disorders: recognition and treatment, NICE guideline [NG69] Published: 23 May 2017 Last updated: 16 December 2020
Intellectual Disability	Practice Parameter Intellectual Disability JAACAP Volume 59 April 2020
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder	Practice Parameter Obsessive Compulsive Disorder JAACAP Volume 51 January 2012		Diagnosis and Management of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders in Children August 2023
PTSD	Practice Parameter Posttraumatic Stress Disorder JAACAP Volume 49 April 2010	World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) guidelines for treatment of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and posttraumatic stress disorders – Version 3. Part II: OCD and PTSD American Psychiatric Association (APA) – Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD 2017 NICE Guidelines Post-traumatic Stress Disorder 2018 Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder, PTSD and Complex PTSD. 2020	Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: 2024 Update of the Evidence Base for the PTSD Trials Standardized Data Repository August 2024
Schizophrenia	Practice Parameter Schizophrenia JAACAP Volume 52 September 2013	Society guideline links: Psychotic disorders - UpToDate Canadian Schizophrenia Guidelines, 2017 American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2020, Practice Guideline for Schizophrenia British Association of Psychopharmacology, updated 2019, evidence-based guidelines for use of pharmacology in schizophrenia
Substance Use Disorder (SUD)		Medication for Adolescents and Young Adults With Opioid Use Disorder Journal of Adolescent Health Volume 68 March 2021 Executive Summary of the Focused Update of the ASAM National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Journal of Addiction Medicine 14(2), March/April 2020 United States Preventive Services Taskforce Recommendation: Illicit Drug Use in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: Primary Care-Based Interventions SAMHSA - TIP 35: Enhancing Motivation for Change in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Drug misuse prevention: targeted interventions, NICE guideline [NG64] Published: 22 February 2017	Interventions for Substance Use Disorders in Adolescents: A Systematic Review May 2020
Tics / Tourette’s	Practice Parameter Tic Disorders JAACAP Volume 52 December 2013	American Academy of Neurology (ANN) systematic review, (part I) and also practice guideline summary (part 2) of treatment of tics in Tourette’s and chronic tic disorder, 2019 European clinical guidelines for Tourette’s Syndrome and other tic disorders, 2021

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Clinical Updates and Practice Parameters

Clinical Updates, authored by AACAP Committees and the CQI, are intended to address three topic areas: the psychiatric assessment and management of specific populations of children and adolescents; the psychiatric assessment and management of children and adolescents in specific settings; and the application of specific psychiatric techniques to children and adolescents. The Clinical Update development process can be accessed here.

Topic	AACAP Clinical Updates & Practice Parameters	Resources From Other Orgs	AHRQ Literature Reviews
Aggression	Practice Parameter Aggressive Behavior in Institutions JAACAP Volume 41 February 2002
Child Welfare	Practice Parameter Child Welfare JAACAP Volume 54 June 2015
Collaborative Care	Clinical Update: Collaborative Mental Health Care for Children and Adolescents in Pediatric Primary Care JAACAP Article in Press June 2022
Cultural Competency	Practice Parameter Cultural Competency JAACAP Volume 52 October 2013
Disaster Preparedness	Practice Parameter Disaster Preparedness JAACAP Volume 52 November 2013
ECT	Practice Parameter Electroconvulsive Therapy JAACAP Volume 43 December 2004
Enuresis	Practice Parameter Enuresis JAACAP Volume 43 December 2004
Family Assessment	Practice Parameter Assessment of the Family JAACAP Volume 46 July 2007
Forensic Assessment or Forensic/Correctional Psychiatry	Practice Parameter Forensic Assessment JAACAP Volume 50 December 2011
LGBTQ Youth	Practice Parameter GLBT Youth JAACAP Volume 51 September 2012
Mental Health Mobile Applications			Strategies for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care September 2022
Mindfulness-Based Interventions			Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Mental Health and Wellbeing in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review February 2025
Nonpharmacological Interventions			Nonpharmacologic Treatments for Maternal Mental Health Conditions July 2024
Perinatal Pharmacologic Interventions			Maternal, Fetal, and Child Outcomes of Mental Health Treatments in Women: A Systematic Review of Perinatal Pharmacologic Interventions April 2021
Pharmacology			Pharmacotherapy for Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder in Outpatient Settings: Systematic Review November 2023
Physically Ill Children	Practice Parameter Physically Ill Children JAACAP Volume 48 February 2009
Psychotherapy	Practice Parameter Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with Children JAACAP Volume 51 May 2012
Psychotropic Medication	Practice Parameter Stimulant Medications* Volume 41 February 2002 Sup Practice Parameter Psychotropic Medication JAACAP Volume 48 September 2009
School Consultation	Practice Parameter Psychiatric Consultation to Schools JAACAP Volume 44 October 2005
Screening & Counseling			Implementation of Recommended Screening and Counseling Interventions to Prevent Mental Health Disorders in Children and Adolescents February 2025
Sexual Abuse	Practice Parameter Sexually Abusive Children JAACAP Volume 38 December 1999
Substance Use Disorder			Treatments, Technologies, and Models for Management of Acute and Chronic Pain in People With a History of Substance Use Disorder April 2021
Suicide	Practice Parameter Suicidal Behavior JAACAP Volume 40 July 2001	Self-harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence NICE guideline [NG225] Published: 07 September 2022
Systems of Care	Clinical Update: Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Care in Community Systems of Care JAACAP Article in Press June 2022
Telepsychiatry	Clinical Update: Telepsychiatry With Children and Adolescents JAACAP Volume 56 October 2017