Antipsychotics quell violence in schizophrenia–unless that’s not the cause
In general, antipsychotic medication leads to significant reductions in violent behavior among schizophrenia patients, according to new results from the multicenter CATIE study, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health.
However, look also for non-psychotic sources of violent behavior, suggests the report in the British Journal of Psychiatry, which medications will not help and which may require intensive therapy. For instance, among subjects with a childhood history of antisocial conduct problems, adherence to antipsychotic medication had no effect on the prevalence of violent behavior.
The 1445-patient study also revealed the following predictors of violent behavior among schizophrenia patients:
* Childhood conduct problems
* Substance misuse
* History of violent victimization
* Economic deprivation
* Living with others rather than alone
Schizophrenia patients with negative psychotic symptoms were less likely to be violent.
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Practical Articles/News
A search here turns up an article from last month’s Psychiatric Times about how to protect yourself against a violent patient.
Research Reviews
Find studies on the effects of clozapine on violent patients with schizophrenia. (Clozapine was not included for patients in this arm of the CATIE study.)
