Self-injurious ideation or behavior appeared de novo or intensified during fluoxetine treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in six patients, age 10 to 17 years old, who were among 42 young patients receiving fluoxetine for obsessive-compulsive disorder at a university clinical research center. These symptoms required the hospitalization of four patients. Before receiving fluoxetine, four p...

Studies of adolescent community samples suggest that substance use, risky sexual behavior, delinquency, and other problem behaviors can be explained in part by a single, underlying factor or syndrome. Of current interest is the generalizability of these findings to subgroups or special populations of youths who may be at high risk for problem behavior. Studies suggest that maltreated youths are...

Behavior contracts are being used more and more in renal settings as a way to address problematic patient behavior. While behavior contracts can be very effective tools for modifying self-destructive or aggressive behavior, a poorly written or implemented behavior contract may lead to a patient’s refusal to cooperate and/or continued or increased problematic behavior. Appropriate use of a behav...

A 7-year-old boy with Tourette's disorder, atypical pervasive developmental disorder, borderline mental retardation, and a history of self-injurious behavior was treated for 21 months with clonidine transdermal patches at doses ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mg weekly. When withdrawn from clonidine over 4 weeks to assess the need for continued therapy, the patient developed multiple self-destructive b...