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Updated: May 19, 2026

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
Published on: November 25, 2025
Successful treatment of co-occurring catatonia and obsessive-compulsive disorder with concurrent electroconvulsive
Michael Makhinson1, Benjamin Albert Furst, Michelle Kristina Shuff
1Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA. mmakh@ucla.edu
Abstract:
Catatonia, associated with a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions such as mood disorders and schizophrenia, is frequently treated with either benzodiazepines or with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treatment-resistant cases. Simultaneous treatment with both is usually avoided. Here, we report a case of the use of the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil before ECT to facilitate the simultaneous use of lorazepam and ECT for the treatment of co-occurring catatonia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both catatonia and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms improved in the patient. Physicians should be aware of flumazenil as a clinical tool for use in treatment-resistant cases.
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