title: School avoidance and social phobia triggered by haloperidol in patients with Tourette's disorder.
abstract: Fifteen patients with Tourette's disorder developed school and work avoidance syndromes when treated with low doses (mean 2.5 mg/day) of haloperidol for short periods of time (mean, 8 weeks). The phobic syndromes disappeared completely with discontinuation or reduction of the haloperidol dose. Haloperidol's effects on dopaminergic functioning support a role for catecholamines in the pathogenesis of phobic syndromes. It is not known whether phobias are precipitated by haloperidol only in patients with Tourette's disorder as a consequence of the specific metabolic alterations in this disorder or are a medication side effect in other psychiatric disorders as well.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000523:psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D006220:Haloperidol