ABSTRACT
The psychiatrist can also make the decision to treat identified target symptoms if these symptoms are present in the context of a likely personality disorder. Treating identified target symptoms can help to make the person’s life easier to manage, although the medications are not curative. When making a clinical decision to treat aggressive behavior with medication, the clinician must perform a thorough history to have an accurate sense of the characteristics of the aggression. If there are clinical suspicions that the impulsivity is occurring in the context of a mood disorder such as bipolar disorder or major depression, pharmacologic treatment can be initiated with either an antidepressant or a mood stabilizer. Insomnia can exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can also worsen behavioral control. In addition, insomnia can be a symptom of both depressive disorders and anxiety disorders. Self-injurious behavior can occur in adolescents, and there is an increased prevalence among females.
