Use of ziprasidone for maladaptive symptoms in youth with au

Atypical antipsychotic drugs are frequently used for treating severe maladaptive behaviors associated with autistic disorder (autism) and other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) (McDougle et al., 2002). These targets of pharmacotherapy often include aggression toward self and others, property destruction, agitation, and irritability

(McDougle., et al 2002). This class of drugs differs from typical or conventional antipsychotics, which had been the mainstay of treatment for these symptoms (McDougle., et al 2002), in a number of ways. These drugs may have a reduced propensity toward causing acute extrapyramidal symptoms, as well as a lower risk of causing tardive dyskinesia. In addition, they have been shown to improve the "negative"

symptoms of schizophrenia, along with beneficial effects on positive symptoms,

such as hallucinations and delusions. The negative symptoms include blunted affect, emotional and social withdrawal, disinterest in in terpersonal relationships, difficulty in abstract thinking, lack of spontaneity and flow of conversation, and stereotyped thinking (Kay et al., 1987). A number of investigators have suggested that the negative sympto

standard diagnostic instrument, such as the Autism Diagnostic Inventory-Revised (McDougle et al 2002). These factors limit the validity and reliability of the findings. Despite these limitations, we believe that it is useful to communicate our initial experience with ziprasidone to clinicians who use atypical antipsychotics to treat children, adolescents, and young adults with severe neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism. These data may also be helpful to clinical researchers in their design of formal studies of ziprasidone in this patient population.

In this report, we describe our initial clinical experience with ziprasidone in the first 12 children, adolescents, and young adults with autism and other PDDs whom we treated. It was hypothesized that ziprasidone would be effective for treating symptoms of aggression, agitation, and irritability and that minimal weight gain would occur (McDougle., el al 2002). This was not true. Unlike earlier studies involving children and adolescents with autism, the patients in the present study did not show a significant amount of weight gain. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the current study involved a very short duration of treatment; longer-term studies are needed to more accurately determine the potential for weight gain and other adverse effects associated with ziprasidone (McDougle et al 2002).

In this report, we describe our initial clinical experience with ziprasidone in the first 12 children, adolescents, and young adults with autism and other PDDs whom we treat

Some topics in this essay:
PDDs McDougle, NOS Eleven, Inventory-Revised McDougle, Network Arnold, PDD NOS, Indiana University, , al 2002, et al, mcdougle et al, mcdougle et, et al 2002, weight gain, children adolescents, children adolescents adults, adolescents adults, adults autism, negative symptoms, agitation irritability, experience ziprasidone, symptoms aggression agitation, aggression agitation irritability,