Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome that usually presents with a combination of motor and behavioral abnormalities characterized by hypoactivity. Catatonia occurs as a subset of a distinct medical or psychiatric syndrome or in the context of a specific disorder, not as a distinct medical condition. In this case report study, we report the case of a 17-year-old boy who presented to the emergency department of Razi Psychiatric Hospital with an episode of catatonia. After detailed clinical examinations and numerous medical consultations, drug treatments and electroconvulsive therapy were performed in several sessions. After drug treatments and electroconvulsive therapy, relative improvement was observed in this patient. This case report provides further evidence in favor of the use of ECT in the treatment of catatonia in adolescents. Given that catatonia can manifest in many medical and psychiatric conditions, clinicians often face challenges in choosing a treatment approach. Practical Implications. Drug treatments combined with electroconvulsive therapy can be used as an appropriate treatment modality in similar cases.
Amiri et al. (Sun,) studied this question.