| AWARD PAPER |
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| Year : 2003 | Volume
: 45
| Issue : 1 | Page : 21-25 |
Electroconvulsive Therapy in Lorazepam Non-Responsive Catatonia
K Girish, Neeraj S Gill
Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore-560029, India
Correspondence Address:
K Girish
Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore-560029
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
PMID: 21206808 
Aim: Tb compare the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) with risperidone in the treatment of lorazepam non-responsive catatonia. Materials and methods: Inpatients with non-affective catatonia (n= 18) non-responsive to at least five-day trial of lorazepam (6-8 mg/day) were randomised into two groups in a double blind randomised design. Written informed consent was obtained. Four were dropped from the trial as they were found to have depressive catatonia. One group received true ECT (thrice weekly, n=8) plus oral placebo while the other received sham ECT plus risperidone (4-6 mg/ day). Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) was administered twice weekly to assess improvement in catatonic symptoms over a period of three weeks. The two groups were compared using two-way RMANOVA. Results: BFCRS scores reduced markedly over treatment course and this reduction was more profound in the ECT group (p=0.035). Shorter the duration of illness greater was the response (lower scores of BFCRS). Conclusions: Superior clinical efficacy of ECT over neuroleptics in catatonia is confirmed by this randomized clinical trial.
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