Clinical experience with the use of low doses of chlorpromazine for the treatment of catatonic agitation in children with autism spectrum disorders

Background. Chlorpromazine, despite almost 75 years of experience of the use in antipsychotic therapy, has not lost its importance in psychiatric practice due to the features of drug-receptor interaction and subsequent fast clinical response. Chlorpromazine is approved for the treatment of psychomotor restlessness, agitation, and anxiety, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Psychomotor agitation in children with ASD is described in a number of scientific schools as part of the catatonic syndrome. The use of chlorpromazine in low doses can be potentially successful in cases of catatonia with psychomotor agitation; therefore, it seems relevant to evaluate its effectiveness and the possibility of use in these conditions, taking into account the unwanted side effects of therapy.