The antipsychotic medication clozapine has been shown to reduce self-injurious behavior, suicide, and aggression in heterogeneous populations. This presentation will provide an overview of clozapine, its indications, and routine monitoring. It will review evidence from the North Carolina prison system showing reductions in self-injurious episodes, assaults on custody staff, disciplinary infractions, and time assigned to restrictive housing among clozapine-treated patients refractory to other medications and therapies.

Learning Objectives

• Review the general benefits and risks of clozapine therapy
• List three potential benefits of clozapine use in a correctional system
• Describe nuances of clozapine prescribing in a prison setting

Level

Intermediate