As the parent or guardian of a child or teen-ager with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or clinical depression, a physician seeking more information, or as a patient yourself, you may be aware of the recent decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to attach a cautionary label, or "black box warning," to medications used to treat ADHD, depression and other disorders in children and adolescents.

The American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have developed two medication guides - the most recent, ADHD Parents Medication Guide, and The Use of Medication in Treating Childhood and Adolescent Depression: Information for Patients and Families. These guides are designed to help patients, families, and physicians make informed decisions about obtaining and administering the most appropriate care for a child with ADHD or depression.The guides have been endorsed by many national medical, family and patient advocacy organizations, listed below.

The information contained in these guides is not intended as, and is not, a substitute for professional medical advice. All decisions about clinical care should be made in consultation with a child's treating physician.

No pharmaceutical funding was used in the preparation and maintenance of these guides or the Web site ParentsMedGuide.org.