Pilot study on the use of psychotropic medication in persons with mental retardation

Objective: To explore the status of the psychotropic medication in persons with mental retardation 6 years after their deinstitutionalization. Method: The authors compared the profiles of psychotropic medication of 60 persons with mental retardation deinstitutionalized (D-sample) from our local mental hospital 6 years ago, to their actual pharmacological profile. Later, we compared our results to the ones of persons with mental retardation on an in-patient (In-sample) unit where existed a concerted team effort to lower the medication when deemed appropriate. Results: Six years post-deinstitutionalization, the authors observed that the same percentage of patients remained on antipsychotic and benzodiazepine medication in our D-sample, and a threefold increase of those using antidepressive medication. However, we observe a general decrease of all types of psychotropic medication in the In-sample with complete withdrawal in a substantial number of patients. Conclusions: The authors take these pilot data to mean that a concerted team effort at lowering medication in persons with mental retardation makes a significant difference. The possibility of other factors (age, sex, severity of mental retardation, psychiatric diagnosis) explaining the difference in the results is discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.