Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice

Risperidone as a treatment for childhood habitual behavior

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Victoria Omranifard 1
. Mostafa Najafi 2
. Mohammad Reza Sharbafchi 1
. Parisa Emami 3
. Mohammad Maracy 4

1 Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 Department of Neurology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

4 Department of Epidemiology, Psychosomatic Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adding risperidone to the 
general behavioral treatment of masturbation in children 3‑7 years old.
Methods: A 4 week randomized clinical controlled trial was designed in year 2009. 
Samples have been chosen from children who have been referred to the Child and 
Adolescence Psychiatric Clinic of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Ninety children 
were recruited at the study and randomly allocated into the risperidone and control 
groups (44 and 46 respectively). The risperidone group was medicated simultaneously by 
behavioral treatments and 0.25‑1 mg of risperidone daily while the controls only received 
the behavioral treatments.
Findings: The mean ± SD age of the risperidone and control groups was 5.3 ± 1.1 and 
4.9 ± 1.1 years, respectively. The mean ± SD of the period of suffering from masturbation was 
3.4 ± 1.2 and 3.8 ± 1.7 months in the risperidone and the control groups, respectively. At the 
beginning of the study, the mean frequency of masturbation in control and the risperidone 
groups was 2.6 ± 0.9 and 2.7 ± 0.9 times/day, whereas after the 4th week, it decreased to 
1.4 ± 0.6 and 1.1 ± 0.5 times/day, respectively. The results showed a more reduction in the 
mean frequency of masturbation in the risperidone group significantly.
Conclusion: In comparison to the general behavioral treatment, risperidone in addition 
to the behavioral treatment will probably reduce the frequency of masturbation in children 
more effectively.

Keywords

Behavioral problems
behavioral treatment
children habitual behavior
  children masturbation
risperidone
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Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice
Volume 2, Issue 1
Winter 2013
Pages 29-33

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