Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-r5d9c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-02T20:43:41.556Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Rapid tranquillisation: are we getting it right?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Laura Mannion ,
Darina Sloan  and
Louise Connolly
Laura Mannion*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University College Hospital Galway, Ireland
Darina Sloan
Affiliation:
St Vincent's Hospital Fairview, Dublin
Louise Connolly
Affiliation:
Cluain Mhuire Family Centre, Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland
*
∗ Correspondence
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Trainees in psychiatry frequently employ rapid tranquillisation (RT) measures. In this study we surveyed trainees as to RT regimes used. We found that a variety of drugs were chosen. On 45 (46%) occasions one drug was used, on 53 (54%) a combination. Drugs were administered in intramuscular form in 88 (90%) incidents. Zuclopenthixol acetate was prescribed on a total of 45 (46%) occasions. In 38 (39%) incidents the trainee used a high-dose regime. The literature regarding RT indicates inconsistency in practice. We address the reasons for this and make suggestions as to possible improvement in practice.

Information

Type
Original Papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 21 , Issue 7 , July 1997 , pp. 411 - 413
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

References

British National Formulary (1995) British National Formulary, Number 29. London: British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.Google Scholar
Cunnane, J. G. (1994) Drug management of disturbed behaviour by psychiatrists. Psychiatric Bulletin, 18, 138–139.Google Scholar
Dubin, W. R. (1989) Rapid tranquillization of the violent patient. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 7, 313–321.Google ScholarPubMed
Hillam, J. & Evans, C. (1996) Neuroleptic drug use in psychiatric intensive therapy units: problems with complying with the consensus statement. Psychiatric Bulletin, 20, 82–84.Google Scholar
Mullen, R., Caan, A. W. & Smith, S. (1994) Perception of equivalent doses of neuroleptic drugs. Psychiatric Bulletin, 18, 335–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pilowsky, L. S., Ring, H., Shrine, P. J., et al (1992) Rapid tranquillisation, a survey of emergency prescribing in a general psychiatric hospital. British Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 831–835.Google Scholar
Simpson, D. & Anderson, I. (1996) Rapid tranquillisation: a questionnaire survey of practice. Psychiatric Bulletin, 20, 149–152.Google Scholar
Thompson, C. (1994) The use of high-dose antipsychotic medication. British Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 448–458.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.