Benzodiazepines for psychosis-induced aggression or agitation
If lorazepam is being used to settle acute agitation or crisis anxiety, what is the exit plan once the crisis has passed?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: The review notes 6 of 20 included trials had pharmaceutical-industry funding and most were underpowered with inadequate randomization reporting.
Across 20 small randomized trials (695 people), benzodiazepines - most often lorazepam - calmed acute psychotic agitation about as well as antipsychotics and caused fewer movement side effects, but the review rated the evidence quality poor.
Worth asking
If lorazepam is being used to settle acute agitation or crisis anxiety, what is the exit plan once the crisis has passed?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Anxiety disorders
- Short-term relief of anxiety symptoms, including anxiety associated with depressive symptoms
Source
Benzodiazepines for psychosis-induced aggression or agitation — Zaman H, et al. (2017)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003079.pub4
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003079.pub4
How this was scored
- Study design
- Systematic review of randomised trials
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 695
- Preregistered
- Yes
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 74 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: The review notes 6 of 20 included trials had pharmaceutical-industry funding and most were underpowered with inadequate randomization reporting. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Benzodiazepines for psychosis-induced aggression or agitation — Zaman H, et al. (2017). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003079.pub4. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Systematic review of randomised trials. Funding: Funding not disclosed. Independence from the proponent is not recorded. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is lorazepam (Ativan), ativan FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Anxiety disorders, Short-term relief of anxiety symptoms, including anxiety associated with depressive symptoms. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.