Carbamazepine for combativeness in acute traumatic brain injury.

Psychiatrists increasingly consult on the treatment of acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) when combativeness compromises safe critical care. The author discusses use of carbamazepine for 7 combative patients with multiple trauma including TBI. This cohort had a clinical decrease in combativeness within 4 days after carbamazepine, compared with this Level I trauma center's experience of prolonged combative periods without its use.