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The effectiveness of antidepressant medication in the management of behaviour problems in adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review.

Author(s): Sohanpal SK, Deb S, Thomas C, Soni R, Lenotre L, Unwin G

Affiliation(s): Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Publication date & source: 2007-10, J Intellect Disabil Res., 51(Pt 10):750-65.

Publication type: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

BACKGROUND: A comprehensive systematic review was performed to establish the current evidence base regarding the effectiveness of antidepressant medication for the management of behaviour problems in adults with intellectual disabilities. METHOD: An electronic search of PsycInfo, Embase, Medline and Cinahl databases was conducted spanning the time period 1990 to October 2005 for primary trials. This was supplemented by hand searching and cross-referencing of relevant reviews. Strict scientific methodology requirements were formulated that the studies had to meet in order to merit inclusion in this review. RESULTS: One crossover randomized controlled trial in a small cohort, seven prospective uncontrolled trials and two retrospective studies were yielded in the search. Of these, one explored the effectiveness of the tricyclic antidepressant--clomipramine, and nine considered various selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). CONCLUSION: Evidence based primarily on a small number of either prospective or retrospective case studies that included a small number of participants and often used non-validated outcome measures for a short period of follow-up, suggests that antidepressants, particularly SSRIs, show improvement of aggression and self-injurious behaviour on average in less than 50% of cases and the rest show either no improvement or deterioration. The effect is most pronounced in the presence of an underlying anxiety or an associated diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Most studies have highlighted the concern regarding adverse effects.

Page last updated: 2007-10-18

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