Comparison of Thioridazine and Diazepam in the Control of Nonpsychotic Symptoms Associated with Senility: Double‐Blind Study

The effects of thioridazine (average dosage 38.9 mg daily) and of diazepam (average dosage 9.0 mg daily) were studied by the double‐blind method for four weeks in 56 hospitalized geriatric patients who had behavioral symptoms associated with senility. Clinical assessment was made by the psychiatrists' modified Hamilton Anxiety Scale for specific psychiatric symptoms and by the Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Behavior, with a global rating for each. On the Hamilton Scale, the thioridazine patients improved more than the diazepam patients with regard to anxiety, tension, fears, behavior at interviews, overall mental illness and global change, whereas the diazepam patients improved more with regard to insomnia, intellect, depressed mood and agitation. The NOSIE ratings favored thioridazine. The only side effects observed were drowsiness during the first week in 2 thioridazine patients receiving 60 mg daily and in 4 diazepam patients receiving 18 mg daily; one of the diazepam patients also had slurred speech for the first week. The conclusion is that in the relatively low dosage employed in this series, thioridazine will improve behavioral symptoms in senile patients without the added stress of oversedation or other side effects.