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Lithium and chlorpromazine: A controlled crossover study of hyperactive severely disturbed young children

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Abstract

A controlled crossover study of lithium and chlorpromazine involving 10 severely disturbed children, 3 to 6 years of age, of which 6 were schizophrenic and 1 autistic, is reported in detail. Patients were matched for motor activity (hyper- and hypoactivity) and prognosis. More symptoms diminished on chlorpromazine than on lithium. However, improvements were only slight on both, except in one child whose autoaggressiveness and explosiveness practically ceased on lithium (nonblind evaluations). Blind ratings indicated no statistically significant difference between the two drugs as well as absence of statistically significant change from baseline to treatment with either. Lithium diminished the severity of individual symptoms, though not statistically significant, such as explosiveness, hyperactivity, aggressiveness, and psychotic speech. Its effect in adult schizophrenia is compared to responses of schizophrenic children. Also discussed is the relationship of EEG to clinical improvement and toxicity, and effect of lithium on hyperactivity and aggressiveness. It is suggested that lithium may prove of some value in treatment of severe psychiatric disorders in childhood involving aggressiveness, explosive affect and hyperactivity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York University Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, 10016, New York, USA

    Magda Campbell, Barbara Fish, Julius Korein, Theodore Shapiro, Patrick Collins & Celedonia Koh

Authors
  1. Magda Campbell
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  2. Barbara Fish
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  3. Julius Korein
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  4. Theodore Shapiro
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  5. Patrick Collins
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  6. Celedonia Koh
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Additional information

This study was supported in part by Public Health Service Grant MH-04665 from the National Institute of Mental Health and in part by a grant from the Harriett Ames Charitable Trust. The authors wish to thank Dr. Sam Gershon for his valuable comments and suggestions, and Ms. M. Kalmijn, R. Bensimhon, H. Von Hedrich, L. Levidow, and P. Mikel for technical assistance.

New York City Health Research Council Career Scientist I-470.

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Campbell, M., Fish, B., Korein, J. et al. Lithium and chlorpromazine: A controlled crossover study of hyperactive severely disturbed young children. J Autism Dev Disord 2, 234–263 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537617

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