Akathisia as Violence

Letter to the Editor

Sir: Manifestations of akathisia, a side effect of antipsychoticdrugs, include restlessness, muscular tension, and a compulsionto move. Infrequently, agitation and violence havebeen reported to be associated with antipsychotic treatment and could be related to akathisia. Differentiating between akathisiathat manifests itself as violence and generalized psychoticagitation is clinically important in order to avoid a viciouscircle of violence in patients who are being treated with antipsychotics.We report a case of persistent agitation and violencein a patient with bipolar mood disorder that was probablya manifestation of akathisia.