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 .
Comparison of Risperidone Orodispersible Tablet and Intramuscular Haloperidol in the Treatment of Acute Psychotic Agitation: A Randomized Open, Prospective Study
Objectives : Psychotic agitation of psychiatric patients is a common manifestation that needs emergent management . Traditionally , parenteral or intramuscular injection of antipsychotics was conducted for treatment of psychotic agitation . Considering that the rapidly absorbed form of risperidone ( risperidone orodispersible tablet ) could be used for the agitated patient , comparison of oral risperidone and intramuscular haloperidol was performed in emergency treatment of psychotic agitation in this study . Methods : 124 patients with psychotic agitation were recruited at the emergency room or inpatient ward . They were r and omly assigned to either the group of oral risperidone or intramuscular haloperidol .  Efficacy of both treatments was measured and compared using the 5-item acute agitation cluster from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-Excited Component ( PANSS-EC ) and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness Scale ( CGI-S ) . Tolerability and safety were also compared between the two groups . Results : The PANSS-EC and CGI-S scores were significantly decreased over time in both treatment groups without any significant group difference and time by group interaction effect ( F = 459.7 , p < 0.0001 ) . There were no serious adverse events in both groups . Conclusion : For the emergency treatment of psychotic agitation , risperidone orodispersible tablet was as effective and tolerable as intramuscular administration of haloperidol . Therefore , we might choose oral medication instead of intramuscular injection for treatment of patients with acute psychotic 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 .