ABSTRACT
The use of medication for problematic behaviours in individuals with learning disabilities has a chequered history. An era of overuse with little regard for potential short-and longterm side effects, sometimes irreversible, was followed by a period of time when medication of any form seemed to be frowned upon. This phase had the extremely positive effect of focussing our attention on the psychological and social determinants of behaviour and what could be done to improve quality of life by these means alone. However, recent years have witnessed acknowledgement that however sophisticated our understanding of psychological and social determinants of behaviour, there is still the occasional place for the judicious use of certain medications for particular indications.
