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 .
Relative efficacy of parenteral haloperidol and thiothixene for the emergency treatment of acutely excited and agitated patients.
In this double-blind study ,  haloperidol ( n = 15 ) and thiothixene ( n = 15 ) , administered parenterally in emergency rooms and outpatient facilities to 30 acutely excited , agitated psychotic patients in hourly doses of 4 mg . or 8 mg . , as needed over a four-hour period ( total dosage ranging from 4 to 32 mg . ) , achieved rapid tranquilization in 30 patients . Significant improvement was shown over a six-hour period on BPRS Total Score , the four factors -- Thinking Disorder , Anergic state , Excitement and Disorientation , and Depression and also on hourly ratings of 17 symptoms of a Psychiatric Target Symptom Profile . No significant differences were found between the haloperidol-treated and thiothixene-treated groups . Few adverse reactions were noted , all of them mild , the most frequent being drowsiness in six patients
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 .