The efficacy of the serotonin uptake inhibitor clomipramine in treating stereotyped and related repetitive behavior disorders was tested in 10 adults (ages 18-42) with severe and profound mental retardation. Of the seven participants who tolerated the drug, six exhibited a clinically significant improvement in one or more repetitive behaviors.…

Severely and profoundly mentally retarded institutionalized residents (N=74) who received lithium carbonate for behavior disorders were followed in a 10-year retrospective study. Thirty-one subjects demonstrated a sustained major reduction or elimination of behavioral symptoms. Lithium responders were likely to be older and to present symptoms of…

Ten adults with compulsive behavior disorder and six comparison subjects, all with mental retardation, were treated using the medication fluoxetine. Seven of the 10 experimental subjects responded favorably to fluoxetine treatment; none of the comparison subjects responded favorably to the medication. There appeared to be a relation between…

Eight young adults (ages 19-39) with autism were given the opiate antagonist naltrexone to control self-injurious behavior and maladaptive idiosyncratic mannerisms. Although one subject appeared to have partial decreases in maladaptive behaviors, the drug did not clearly reduce the self-injurious and other maladaptive behaviors of the subjects.…

A review of the use of psychotropic medications for people with developmental disabilities is presented. Results suggest that prescribing drugs based on topographical features of the problem behavior, without considering the function the behavior serves for the individual, contributes to variability in clinical response. Functional analysis of a…

The author of a paper on effects of risperidone on behavior in people with developmental disabilities rebuts a criticism by suggesting that a specific diagnosis of psychiatric disorder is unimportant, since risperidone was effective in reducing aberrant behavior regardless of psychiatric diagnosis and/or environmental contingencies. (Contains…

In response to James Mulick (EC 232 032), this paper agrees with the need for careful use of aversive techniques to treat severe behavior disorders of persons who are mentally retarded but justifies such use on moral, legal, ethical, and practical bases as well as scientific ones. (DB)

An open, prospective assessment of the treatment of severe aggression and self-injurious behavior (SIB) with paroxetine in 15 institutionalized persons with mental retardation was undertaken. Frequency and severity of aggression and SIB were charted. Results found that aggression severity only was reduced over the entire four-month follow-up…

Institutionalized persons (n=149) with severe or profound mental retardation who were treated with heterocyclic antidepressants were divided into responders and nonresponders and compared. Responders were more likely to be those subjects who exhibited symptoms of depression, psychosis, or tantruming and had a higher social age than did…

This study with 65 individuals with mental retardation and additional seizure and/or psychiatric or behavioral disorders found that 9.2 percent experienced medication (carbamazepine) side effects, ranging from irritability to mania. More side effects were experienced by individuals with behavioral or psychiatric disorders than by those with an…

Discusses problems of using applied behavior analysis for individuals with mental retardation who have behavior disorders and presents a sensitivity model of motivation that stresses analysis in terms of aberrant environments, aberrant contingencies, and aberrant motivation. Describes implications for communication theory, assessment, and…

In response to a paper on effects of risperidone on behavior in people with developmental disabilities, this paper raises the issue of how clinicians determine whether treatment should target the psychiatric disorder underlying the aberrant behavior (diagnosis-based treatment) or should target the aberrant behavior directly (behavior-based…

In two studies, severe aggressive and self-injurious behaviors exhibited by two adult men with mental retardation were reduced through the implementation of functional communication training. Reductions came after years of less successful nonaversive and aversive interventions. Behavior changes were generalized across staff, new environments, and…

Consumer satisfaction and social validity were measured during a double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of risperidone in treating aberrant behaviors of persons with developmental disabilities. A survey showed all 17 caregivers felt participation was positive. Community members (n=52) also indicated that when on medication, the 5 participants…