Chronic 'speech catatonia' with constant logorrhea, verbigeration and echolalia successfully treated with lorazepam: a case report.

Abstract

Logorrhea, verbigeration and echolalia persisted unremittingly for 3 years, with occasional short periods of motoric excitement, in a patient with mild intellectual handicap suffering from chronic schizophrenia. The speech catatonic symptoms, previously refractory to various antipsychotics, responded promptly to lorazepam, a benzodiazepine with documented efficacy in the treatment of acute catatonia but not chronic catatonia. It is suggested that pathways in speech production were selectively involved in the genesis of the chronic speech catatonic syndrome, possibly a rare form of chronic catatonia not previously described.

• Authors: Joseph W Y Lee
• Journal: Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences (Psychiatry Clin Neurosci) Vol. 58 Issue 6 Pg. 666-8 (Dec 2004) ISSN: 1323-1316 [Print] Australia
• PMID: 15601393 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Hypnotics and Sedatives
• Lorazepam

Topics

• Adult
• Catatonia (drug therapy, psychology)
• Chronic Disease
• Echolalia (drug therapy, psychology)
• Female
• Humans
• Hypnotics and Sedatives (therapeutic use)
• Lorazepam (therapeutic use)
• Recurrence
• Speech Disorders (drug therapy, psychology)
• Treatment Refusal