Absence of hostility in outpatients after administration of halazepam--a new benzodiazepine.

A number of benzodiazepine have been shown to increase hostility and aggression. This study examines whether halazepam, a new benzodiazepine structurally very similar to diazepam, is associated with increases in hostility. Fifty-one adult outpatients in a double blind, 6 week study were randomly assigned either halazepam or placebo. Hostility was measured by changes in response on four different scales, the anger-hostility factor of the Patient Symptom Checklist and three MMPI hostility scales. The results of our study indicated that halazepam does not induce significant changes in hositility.