Naltrexone in treatment of self injurious behavior: a clinical study.

It has been suggested that the parenteral opiate antagonist, naloxone, might ameliorate self-injurious behavior. However, clinical studies have had conflicting results. We have evaluated whether a potent oral opiate antagonist, naltrexone, is effective in the treatment of this condition. The study was conducted on two young, profoundly mentally retarded adults, who exhibited intractable self-injurious behavior. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject-withdrawal design was utilized. One subject was studied for 12 weeks and the other one for 18 weeks. No measurable effects on the self-injurious behavior were observed.