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Clozapine Reduces Violent Behavior in Heterogeneous Diagnostic Groups

Received January 17, 2003; revised April 27, 2003; accepted May 15, 2003. From the Dorothea Dix State Psychiatric Hospital, Raleigh, North Carolina, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Address correspondence to Dr. Kraus, Chief, Adult Psychiatry, Dorothea Dix Hospital, 3601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-3601; jkraus{at}med.unc.edu (E-mail).

Violent behavior is a significant problem in the psychiatric hospital setting. Persistently violent patients often require seclusion and/or restraints and typically receive high doses of medication and polypharmacy. Clozapine has been found to be effective in reducing aggression in patients with psychosis. Thus, we examined the effects of clozapine in a heterogeneous group of persistently violent patients. A chart review of the effect of clozapine in persistently violent patients was performed. Changes in the number of violent episodes and the need for seclusion and restraint were assessed for a 3-month period before and after receiving clozapine. In this group of five, carefully selected, persistently violent patients, clozapine treatment resulted in marked decreases in violent episodes and the use of seclusion and restraint. These data suggest a role for clozapine in the treatment of persistently violent patients irrespective of DSM-IV diagnosis.

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