Psychotropic drug use in children and adolescents in institutional care in Vitória (ES), Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to identify and analyze the use of psychotropic drugs by children and adolescents in institutional care in Vitória (ES), Brazil. It is an exploratory and descriptive research, with a qualitative-quantitative and retrospective documentary approach, analyzing records from seven Institutional Care Services for Children and Adolescents (SAICAs) between December 2023 and June 2025. Results show that 31.7% of the those child and adolescents were prescribed psychotropic drugs, with a high incidence of polypharmacy. The medicated population is predominantly male (58.3%), adolescent (70.8%), and black or brown. Risperidone was the most prescribed substance. It was found that 77.4% of prescriptions targeted the management of externalizing problems. Black individuals were 16% more likely to receive medication for externalizing symptoms compared to white individuals. We conclude that prescription rates exceed population estimates of mental disorders, warning against medicalization as a tool for bodily control. The study highlights the urgency of strengthening intersectoral work and confronting racism, ableism, and oppressions in care practices.