Successful treatment of co-occurring catatonia and obsessive-compulsive disorder with concurrent electroconvulsive therapy and benzodiazepine administration.
Catatonia, associated with a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions such as mood disorders and schizophrenia, is frequently treated with either benzodiazepines or with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treatment-resistant cases. Simultaneous treatment with both is usually avoided. Here, we report a case of the use of the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil before ECT to facilitate the simultaneous use of lorazepam and ECT for the treatment of co-occurring catatonia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both catatonia and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms improved in the patient. Physicians should be aware of flumazenil as a clinical tool for use in treatment-resistant cases.
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA. mmakh@ucla.edu
Michael
M
Makhinson
Benjamin Albert
BA
Furst
Michelle Kristina
MK
Shuff
Grace Eun
GE
Kwon
D000328:Adult; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002389:Catatonia / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D005442:Flumazenil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018757:GABA Modulators / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*
D018757:GABA Modulators; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D005442:Flumazenil; D008140:Lorazepam