Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci.  2021 Feb;19(1):170-173. 10.9758/cpn.2021.19.1.170.

Resolution of Persistent Auditory Verbal Hallucinations after Long-term Electroconvulsive Therapy Maintenance: A Case Report of a Patient with Clozapine-resistant Schizophrenia

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Dongguk University International Hospital, Goyang, Korea
  • 2Institute of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea
  • 3Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea
  • 4Department of Psychiatry, Nowon Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

A 32-year-old woman with schizophrenia and persistent auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs), which caused continuous suicidal thoughts and depression, was treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) of an acute course followed by maintenance ECT (M-ECT) augmented onto clozapine for 7 years. Although the general psychopathology and AVHs initially reduced slightly with ECT and clozapine, her AVHs and suicidal thoughts did not decrease subjectively. When 3 years of M-ECT, her voices declined sharply, and improvement was maintained for 2 years thereafter. A total 91 ECT sessions were performed. The daily clozapine dose was decreased from 325 to 200 mg and plasma levels remained higher than 350 ng/ml; there were no noticeable cognitive side effects. In summary, we report a case showing a sudden sharp reduction in persistent AVHs after 3 years of long-term M-ECT.

Keyword

Schizophrenia; Auditory verbal hallucinations; Clozapine; Maintenance electroconvulsive therapy
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