Six-month treatment with risperidone showed no benefit over placebo in treating patients with military-related PTSD who were resistant to treatment with selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, according to a report in August issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was a six-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted from February 2007 to February 2010 at 23 Veterans Administration outpatient medical centers. Despite limited evidence supporting the practice, second-generation antipsychotics—of which risperidone is one—are commonly used for SSRI-resistant symptoms of PTSD, the authors say.
Psychiatric News has provided extensive coverage about the mental health needs of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan; for recent coverage see http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/11/15.1.full.
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