Psychotropic drugs and accidents in a general practice.

The incidence of accidents over five years in a group of patients who had taken benzodiazepines, phenothiazines, and antidepressants for more than a year was compared with that in control patients who had not been taking tranquilizers. The patients taking benzodiazepines had a statistically significantly increased risk of having an accident compared with controls, though this was not true when they were not taking the drugs.     

Psychotropic viruses

Viruses are increasingly being recognized as important factors in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic mental illness. Here we review clinical and epidemiologic data concerning viral infection and mental illness, as well as animal models that provide insight into the myriad of mechanisms by which infection can cause brain dysfunction.