[Pharmacotherapy of patients with mental retardation during psychiatric hospitalization]

Mentally retardated patients are considered to be the worst treated and medical cared group of psychiatric patients. Mentally impaired patients are diagnosed following the same diagnostic criteria as patients with normal intellectual abilities. The diagnosis stated should determine adequate pharmacological treatment schemes, the same as for general population. The aim of paper was to analyse pharmacological treatment administered to mentally retarded patients during psychiatric hospitalization.

The medical documentation of patients hospitalized in Babinski's Hospital in Lodz in 2006 with diagnosis of mental retardation (F70-F79 according to ICD-10). The patients hospitalized throughout the year 2006 with co-morbid psychiatric diagnosis as well as those with only stated mental retardation were taken into account. The analysis was based on questionnaire specially prepared for that paper. The results were statistically analyzed.

The most frequent administered treatment among mentally retarded patients during psychiatric hospitalization were antipsychotics of the first generation and mood stabilizers independently on co-morbid psychiatric disorders.

Regardless the level of mental retardation the most rarely administered group of medicines seemed to be antidepressive drugs (statistical importance) and atypical antipsychotics. Mood stabilizers were statistically more frequently administered in patients with severe level of mental retardations.