Mental Illness (Oct 2017)

Clinical response of clozapine as a treatment for delirious mania

  • Nabeel Wahid,
  • Garwin Chin,
  • Andia H. Turner,
  • Alexis Seegan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4081/mi.2017.7182
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 2

Abstract

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Delirious mania is an understudied psychiatric disorder with a mortality rate as high as 75%. Previous case studies suggest that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an effective treatment for delirious mania, though this procedure may not always be a viable option. We describe the case of a 20-year old patient, with no previous psychiatric history, who developed delirious mania over the course of four months. ECT was not a viable option for this patient due to his religious beliefs, so alternative treatment modalities were explored. After failing trials of risperidone and olanzapine, significant improvements in symptoms were exhibited with a trial of clozapine. We propose that clozapine may be an effective option in cases of delirious mania, when ECT is not a viable option. Additional research is still necessary to understand the pathology of this condition and potential treatment modalities.

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