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Mood Stabilizers, Anticonvulsants, and Anti-agitants

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Clinical Psychopharmacology for Neurologists
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Abstract

This chapter addresses the use of mood stabilizers, including various anticonvulsants, for both FDA-approved and off-label uses in treating psychiatric disorders. Additionally, this chapter provides a focused overview of the management of adults with aggressive behaviors related to major psychiatric disorders, with an emphasis on conditions most likely to be encountered by neurologists. There are no FDA-approved pharmacological treatments of aggression, regardless of diagnosis or the origin of the behaviors. The treatments used to target aggression (beyond primary treatment of psychiatric disorders) are therefore off-label interventions and should be carefully considered after reviewing the available evidence. This chapter presents some of the relevant evidence supporting off-label pharmacological treatments targeting aggression related to specific diagnoses. Other sources provide more detailed overviews of the assessment and management of aggression.

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Correspondence to William J. Newman MD .

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Newman, W.J. (2018). Mood Stabilizers, Anticonvulsants, and Anti-agitants. In: Grossberg, G., Kinsella, L. (eds) Clinical Psychopharmacology for Neurologists. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74604-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74604-3_11

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74604-3

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