Improvement in organically disturbed behavior with trazodone treatment

Four elderly patients with severe organic brain syndromes and disturbed behavior were treated with trazodone after therapy with neuroleptics had been ineffective. The behavior of all four patients improved substantially. In each case, the clinical presentation did not suggest a depressive illness, and many of the disturbed behaviors, such as hypersexuality, are not generally considered characteristic of depression. The improvement in behavior may be related to the taming effect of trazodone in animal models of aggression. This effect is not shared by other antidepressants; thus, trazodone may have unique value as an alternative to neuroleptics for the treatment of organically disturbed behavior.