Naltrexone treatment of dementia with severe self-injurious behaviors: a single case study

Psychiatry. 2000 Fall;63(3):288-99. doi: 10.1080/00332747.2000.11024920.

Abstract

The results of studies of the opiate antagonist Naltrexone (NLTX) in the treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in various psychiatric populations have been equivocal. The majority of studies has relied on small samples, many of which lacked scientific rigor and none of which occurred in a nursing facility. The present study investigates the use of NLTX on a patient with severe SIB who resides in a nursing facility. The patient is a 38-year-old male with a history of heavy drug and alcohol abuse. He has been in either a state hospital or nursing facility since age 21. The patient overdosed on alcohol and drugs in 1990, which led to a prolonged coma with organic brain damage.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Dementia / diagnosis
  • Dementia / drug therapy*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Naltrexone / adverse effects
  • Naltrexone / therapeutic use*
  • Narcotic Antagonists / adverse effects
  • Narcotic Antagonists / therapeutic use*
  • Nursing Homes
  • Self-Injurious Behavior / drug therapy*
  • Social Behavior
  • Substance-Related Disorders / diagnosis
  • Substance-Related Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Narcotic Antagonists
  • Naltrexone