Agitation in schizophrenia: origins and evidence-based treatment.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Agitation associated with schizophrenia remains an important clinical concern and if not managed effectively, can escalate into aggressive behavior. This is a review of the recent biomedical literature on agitation in individuals with schizophrenia. RECENT FINDINGS: Themes in the recent literature include consideration of comorbidities such as cigarette smoking and cannabis use. Surveys reveal that pharmacological approaches to manage agitation have changed little, with haloperidol remaining in common use and intramuscular administration of antipsychotics and/or benzodiazepines being frequently administered to more severely agitated/aggressive individuals. Of note, ketamine has been recently adopted for use in severe agitation in medical emergency departments, but the risk of this medication for people with schizophrenia is unclear. At present, inhaled loxapine remains the only rapidly acting noninjectable FDA-approved treatment for agitation associated with schizophrenia. In development is an intranasal formulation for olanzapine (a well characterized atypical antipsychotic already approved to treat agitation) and a sublingual film for dexmedetomidine (an α2-adrenergic agonist used as an anesthetic and now being repurposed). SUMMARY: Comorbidities can contribute to agitation and can make an accurate differential diagnosis challenging. The ongoing development of rapidly acting novel formulations of antiagitation medications, if successful, may facilitate clinical treatment by providing additional options.

[Delirium, catatonia and substance withdrawal syndrome manifested as psychomotor agitation in COVID-19: a pharmacological management approach for the general hospital setting]. / Delirium, catatonía y síndrome de abstinencia manifestados como agitación psicomotora en COVID-19: una propuesta de manejo farmacológico en el hospital general.

BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric symptoms can be part of the clinical spectrum of COVID-19 infections. AIM: To devise an evidence based clinical algorithm as a guide for clinicians, to identify and treat underlying clinical syndromes of psychomotor agitation, such as delirium, catatonia or substance withdrawal in patients who are hospitalized and infected with SARS-CoV-2. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A review of the literature about the pharmacological management of neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 at the general hospital, to develop a clinical protocol based on a consensus from an interdisciplinary expert panel at a Clinical Hospital. RESULTS: A consensual clinical algorithm for the management of delirium, catatonia, and substance withdrawal, manifested as psychomotor agitation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, was developed as a clinical proposal for physicians at different levels of complexity in health services. CONCLUSIONS: Cooperation among different clinical units in the general hospital facilitated the implementation of a clinical algorithm for clinicians for the management of psychomotor agitation in COVID-19 patients.

The course of neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychotropic drug use in Dutch nursing home patients with dementia during the first wave of COVID-19: A longitudinal cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the course of neuropsychiatric symptoms in nursing home residents with dementia during the step-by-step lifting of restrictions after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, and to describe psychotropic drug use (PDU) throughout the whole first wave. METHODS: Longitudinal cohort study of nursing home residents with dementia. We measured neuropsychiatric symptoms using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). From May to August 2020, the NPI-Q was filled in monthly. Psychotropic drug use was retrieved from the electronic prescription system, retrospectively for the months February to April and prospectively for the months May to August. RESULTS: We followed 252 residents with dementia in 19 Dutch nursing homes. Agitation was the most prevalent type of neuropsychiatric symptom at each assessment. Overall, the prevalence and severity of agitation and depression significantly decreased over time. When considering more in detail, we observed that in some residents specific neuropsychiatric symptoms resolved (resolution) while in others specific neuropsychiatric symptoms developed (incidence) during the study period. For the majority of the residents, neuropsychiatric symptoms persisted over time. Psychotropic drug use remained stable over time throughout the whole first wave of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: At group level, lifting the measures appeared to have beneficial effects on the prevalence and severity of agitation and depression in residents with dementia. Nevertheless, on an individual level we observed high heterogeneity in the course of neuropsychiatric symptoms over time. Despite the pressure of the pandemic and the restrictions in social contact imposed, PDU remained stable.

Neurotropism of SARS-CoV-2: COVID-19 presenting with an acute manic episode.

A 41-year-old man with no significant medical history presented with acute behavioural disruption on the background of a 1-day history of severe headache and a 10-day history of dry cough and fever. He was sexually disinhibited with pressured speech and grandiose ideas. His behaviour worsened, necessitating heavy sedation and transfer to intensive care for mechanical ventilation despite no respiratory indication. Investigations confirmed that he was positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Neuroimaging and a lumbar puncture were normal. Initial screening for SARS-CoV-2 in the cerebrospinal fluid was negative although no validated assay was available. The patient's mental state remained abnormal following stepdown from intensive care. Psychiatric assessment found features consistent with acute mania, and he was detained under the Mental Health Act. This case indicates the need to consider COVID-19 in a wider series of clinical presentations and to develop a validated assay for SARS-CoV-2 in the cerebrospinal fluid.