Diler Rasim Somer, Yolga Aysegul, Avci Ayse, Scahill Lawrence
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Balcali, Adana, Turkey.
J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2003;13 Suppl 1:S89-92. doi: 10.1089/104454603322126386.
To present two cases of rapid-onset obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children treated with risperidone.
"A" was an 8-year-old boy with attention deficit and chronic tic disorder who developed obsessive-compulsive symptoms within 2 weeks of starting risperidone. When the dose of 0.5 mg tid was discontinued, the obsessive-compulsive symptoms resolved with no return over 8 months of follow-up. "B" was an 11-year-old girl with mild mental retardation and aggression who was treated with risperidone 1 mg per day. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms suddenly emerged 10 days after starting risperidone and resolved within 3 days of discontinuation. In both cases, streptococcal pharyngitis was ruled out.
Although the mechanism is not clear, these cases add to several other reports concerning the sudden emergence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and anxiety symptoms in children treated with atypical antipsychotics. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility of these adverse effects in children treated with these drugs.