Multiple conditions can cause a patient to act in an agitated or aggressive manner in the inpatient pediatric setting: alcohol and substance intoxication, primary psychiatric disorders, psychosis, personality disorders, severe conduct disorder, autism, pervasive developmental delay (PDD), mental retardation, delirium, temporal lobe seizure, other “organic” causes (steroid-induced, herpes simplex virus [HSV] encephalitis)
Manifestations depend on the underlying cause:
Refers to the use of medication to achieve behavioral control or sedation. Always attempt to offer oral medications first.