A study of polypharmacy with second generation antipsychotics in patients with severe and persistent mental illness.

Background: There is a paucity of empirical support for polypharmacy with second generation (atypical) antipsychotics (SGAs), especially in understudied populations.

Objective: To investigate the frequency, effectiveness, and safety of this practice in patients with severe and persistent mental illness who are chronically hospitalized.

Methods: A chart review was conducted at a state psychiatric hospital in Syracuse, NY.

Gabapentin's effect on agitation in severely and persistently mentally ill patients.

Objective: To study the effects of adjunctive gabapentin on agitation in severely and persistently mentally ill (SPMI) inpatients.

Method: Eleven chronic SPMI inpatients on stable psychotropic medication regimens were evaluated before and after the initiation of adjunctive gabapentin for six months. The following psychometric tests were used: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Corrigan Agitated Behavior Scale (CABS), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI)-Severity.