Clinical analysis of naltrexone in the treatment of self-injurious behavior

Treatment of self-injury with opiate-antagonists has been a very recent development in the area of behavioral pharmacology and equivocal clinical findings have emerged from research to date. This study evaluated the effects of the orally administered opiate-antagonist, naltrexone hydrochloride, on chronic self-injurious behavior of a multihandicapped child. The clinical trial was conducted within a residential treatment program and incorporated a within-subject withdrawal design under double-blind, placebo-controlled conditions. Neither the frequency or topography of self-injurious responding was affected positively with the administration of medication. Clinical and research implications are discussed.