Drug therapy encompasses the wide variety of medications administered to combat or regulate diseases and conditions such as cancer, psychiatric illnesses, and seizures.

Use of drug therapy in treating children is a relatively new field. Many drugs prescribed for similar conditions in adults are not FDA-approved for children, and some are only approved for children over the age of 12. When drug therapy has been prescribed for a child, it is imperative that the parents or caregivers learn about the proper dosages, possible side effects, and harmful interactions with other medications. If the medications are to be administered at home, extra precaution should be taken to keep them in a safe and secure place.

An estimated 12 million children in the United States suffer from some form of psychiatric illness, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depression, schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome, anxiety disorders, and autism. Because research has...