Treatment of Catatonia Using Low Doses of Clozapine

Abstract

Catatonia is a state of apparent unresponsiveness to external stimuli in a person who is apparently awake and which occurs in children, adolescents, and adults and is characterized by a variety of symptoms and signs of impairment of the expression of voluntary thoughts and movements. Antipsychotics should be used with care as they can worsen catatonia and are the cause of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, a dangerous condition that can mimic catatonia and requires immediate discontinuation of the antipsychotic. The use of atypical antipsychotics to treat catatonia remains anecdotal, owing to concerns that they may worsen catatonic symptoms. We describe the case of good treatment response in low doses of clozapine in a adolescent with first psychotic episode –catatonic feature.