An Electro-Convulsive Refractory, Difficult to Treat Case of Recurrent Severe Depression With Catatonia

Abstract

We report on a 24 year old woman presented with low mood, reduced appetite, disturbed sleep and anxiety for which she was prescribed oral medication from a local practitioner in form of antidepressant(SSRI), anxiolytic(BZD) and upon no improvement, she underwent 8 rounds of successful electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on which she responded partially and was discharged on SSRI.A few days after visited the same doctor and reported of having low mood, crying spells, referential and paranoid ideas and an attempt of suicide for which 10 more sessions of ECT were given. She presented in psychiatry OPD with catatonia where she was advised admission and diagnosed as a case of recurrent depressive disorder with catatonia and was managed with suprathresholddoses of SSRI and responded well.