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 .
Loxapine versus haloperidol parenterally in acute psychosis with agitation
A comparison of loxapine and haloperidol parenterally in acute psychotic , agitated patients was carried out as a r and omized double‐blind trial . The trial covered 15 patients in each group , and the diagnoses were psychogenic psychosis ( 18 cases ) and acute schizophrenia ( 12 cases ) . The patients received 25–50 mg loxapine or 2.5–5 mg haloperidol combined with biperiden 2.5–5 mg every 6–12 hours over a 72‐hour period . The average daily dose was 130 mg loxapine or 12 mg haloperidol
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 .