Haloperidol in schizophrenic children: early findings from a study in progress.

This report presents preliminary findings in an ongoing double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety and efficacy of haloperidol in hospitalized schizophrenic children. The subjects are diagnosed schizophrenic by DSM-III-R criteria and admitted to the Bellevue Hospital Children's Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. The study is 10 weeks in duration and employs a crossover design. After a 2-week placebo baseline period, the subjects enter double-blind treatment for 8 weeks, by random assignment receiving either haloperidol for 4 weeks followed by placebo for 4 weeks, or alternatively, placebo for 4 weeks followed by haloperidol for 4 weeks. Dosage, regulated individually, ranges from 0.5 to 10.0 mg/day. To date, of an anticipated 20 subjects, 12 have completed the study. These children, 9 boys and 3 girls, were ages 5.5 to 11.75 years upon study entry. Haloperidol was superior to placebo for reduction of target symptoms with optimal haloperidol dose of 0.5 to 3.5 mg/day (0.02-0.12 mg/kg/day).

Carbamazepine in hospitalized aggressive conduct disorder children: an open pilot study.

Ten subjects completed an open pilot study of carbamazepine in hospitalized aggressive and explosive children diagnosed as having conduct disorder. The subjects (9 boys, 1 girl) ranged in age from 5.25 to 10.92 years (mean = 8.27). Ratings were done at the end of a 1-week baseline period and after 3 weeks of treatment with carbamazepine. Ratings were carried out by multiple raters in several settings, using various rating instruments. The optimal daily doses of carbamazepine ranged from 600 to 800 mg (mean = 630); plasma levels at post-treatment rating ranged from 4.8 to 10.4 micrograms/mL (mean = 6.2). Administration of carbamazepine was associated with clinically and statistically significant declines in the target symptoms of aggressiveness and explosiveness. These results are promising and suggest that a critical assessment of the efficacy and safety of carbamazepine is warranted under double-blind and placebo-controlled conditions in this population.