Idiopathic recurrent catatonia needs maintenance lorazepam: case report and review

Catatonia as a phenomenon has been well described with either a schizophrenic illness, severe mood disorders or periodic catatonia disorder. We aim to report a patient who had recurrent catatonia that responded to and required lorazepam for maintenance.

We describe the case of a 28 year old woman who had a history of recurrent catatonia that was unresponsive to most anti-psychotics, but who responded to high doses of lorazepam and needed long-term lorazepam for maintenance.

Our patient met the criteria for a diagnosis of idiopathic catatonic disorder. Response to lorazepam suggests that a certain group of patients may require long-term treatment with lorazepam, especially those who may have down-regulation of GABA-A receptors.