title: Treating impulsivity, irritability, and aggression of antisocial personality disorder with quetiapine.
abstract: There are few effective treatments of antisocial personality disorder (APD). Preliminary work suggests that the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine can decrease irritability, impulsivity, and aggressiveness. Data were collected from 4 patients with APD who were referred to a maximum-security inpatient psychiatric facility for pretrial evaluation and were treated with quetiapine. Quetiapine was effective in these patients as was indicated by a decrease in symptoms such as impulsivity, hostility, aggressiveness, irritability, and rage reactions. Typical dosage was 600 to 800 mg per day. Patients attributed their willingness to comply with quetiapine treatment to both the effectiveness of the drug and its favorable adverse-event profile. Quetiapine was successfully combined with mood stabilizers, particularly gabapentin, in patients with prominent affective instability. Quetiapine has demonstrated efficacy in aggression, impulsivity, and irritability and has proved to be an effective medication in these patients with APD. In addition, its favorable adverse-event profile makes patients willing to comply.
authors.affiliation: Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center, 1612 Dawkins Road, LaGrange, Kentucky 40031, USA.
authors.forename: Candace
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Timothy S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood; D008297:Male; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate