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Psychiatric Disturbance in Mentally Handicapped Patients

A Prospective Study of Current Clinical Usage of Depot Fluphenazine in Hospitals for the Mentally Handicapped

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

M. J. Craft  and
A. A. Schiff
M. J. Craft
Affiliation:
Bryn-y-Neuadd Hospital, Llanfairfechan, Gwynedd LL33 0HH, also Department of Psychiatry, State of Queensland, Brisbane
A. A. Schiff
Affiliation:
E. R. Squibb and Sons Ltd, Regal House, Twickenham T1 3QT
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Summary

One hundred and two mentally handicapped and severely mentally handicapped patients with behaviour disorders and superadded mental illnesses which, in most cases, had not responded adequately to oral medication, entered a 12-week study of fluphenazine decanoate depot injections. Some of the patients had the additional complications of epilepsy, organic brain damage, and physical handicap. Highly significant overall improvements occurred, irrespective of such factors as the patient's age, sex, degree of mental handicap, or co-existence of epilepsy, or brain damage. Hyperpyrexia was not encountered. Extrapyramidal disturbance in 22 of the patients, were mostly well controlled by antiparkinson medication; eight of the 12 patients with pre-trial extrapyramidal abnormalities lost these during the study. Fluphenazine decanoate injections proved a reliable drug-delivery system, which may improve difficult behaviours and enable the mentally handicapped patient to be more receptive to behaviour-shaping exercises, aimed at improving long-term personality adjustment.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 137 , Issue 3 , September 1980 , pp. 250 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1980 

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