The Use of Sulthiame with Disturbed Mentally Subnormal Patients

¹ Consultant Psychiatrist, Eastern Special Care Management Committee, Muckamore Abbey Hospital, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
² Medical Assistant, Eastern Special Care Management Committee, Muckamore Abbey Hospital, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
³ Principal Clinical Psychologist, Eastern Special Care Management Committee, Muckamore Abbey Hospital, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland

Forty-two severely subnormal, hospitalized patients with marked and apparently intractable behaviour abnormalities took part in a doubleblind, cross-over trial of sulthiame, which was investigated as a tranquillizer rather than as an anticonvulsant. Detailed assessments of behavioural changes were made, with the use of rating scales, by nursing observers. The findings were as follows:

1. Sulthiame was significantly effective in reducing the incidence of disturbed behaviour.

2. There was insufficient evidence to suggest that it affected the variety of disturbed behaviour.

3. Most of the patients had taken part in an earlier trial with pericyazine and chlorpromazine and had shown no improvement; this suggests that sulthiame may well be effective in cases where other tranquillizers have failed.

4. The so-called `placebo effect' did not materialize.

5. There were no observable side effects during the trial.

6. The addition of sulthiame to standard anticonvulsant therapy brought about a decrease in seizure frequency in only one of 25 epileptic patients.