For its management , experts agreed in considering  verbal de-escalation  and  environmental modification techniques  as first choice , considering physical restraint as a last resort strategy .
BACKGROUND Psychomotor agitation is associated with different psychiatric conditions and represents an important issue in psychiatry .
Current recommendations on agitation in psychiatry are not univocal .
Actually , an improper assessment and management may result in unnecessary coercive or sedative treatments .
A thorough and balanced review plus an expert consensus can guide assessment and treatment decisions .
A Double-Blind, Randomized Comparison Study of Efficacy and Safety of Intramuscular Olanzapine and Intramuscular Haloperidol in Patients With Schizophrenia and Acute Agitated Behavior
Abstract Studies of intramuscular ( IM ) olanzapine in Asian and Taiwanese population s are limited . This study examined the efficacy and safety of IM olanzapine in Taiwanese patients with schizophrenia and acute agitated behavior . This was a multicenter , double-blind , r and omized , parallel study comparing the efficacy and safety of 10 mg/d IM olanzapine ( n = 25 ) against 7.5 mg/d haloperidol ( n = 24 ) . The primary objective was to assess the change of agitation from baseline to 2 hours after the first IM injection on the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale – Excited Component Scale . The changes of Positive and Negative Symptom Scale – Excited Component Scale score from baseline to 2 hours after the first IM injection did not show statistically significant difference between study groups ( olanzapine −9.0 ± 5.7 , haloperidol −7.9 ± 4.0 , P = 0.254 ) . Both groups reported insomnia as the most common treatment-emergent adverse event , and no serious adverse event was reported . Intramuscular olanzapine and IM haloperidol are similarly effective antipsychotic agents in treating agitated symptoms in Taiwanese patients with schizophrenia . Both IM olanzapine and IM haloperidol were proven to be safe and well tolerated , which also provided alternative options in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia with agitation
For its management , experts agreed in considering  verbal de-escalation  and  environmental modification techniques  as first choice , considering physical restraint as a last resort strategy .
BACKGROUND Psychomotor agitation is associated with different psychiatric conditions and represents an important issue in psychiatry .
Current recommendations on agitation in psychiatry are not univocal .
Actually , an improper assessment and management may result in unnecessary coercive or sedative treatments .
A thorough and balanced review plus an expert consensus can guide assessment and treatment decisions .