A False Case of Clozapine-Resistant Schizophrenia

One of the subjects that most concerns physicians is treatment-resistance. About 30%–60% of schizophrenia patients do not respond adequately to antipsychotic treatment and are known as refractory schizophrenia patients. Clozapine has been the drug of choice in such cases. However, approximately 30%...

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Main Authors: J. P. Maia-de-Oliveira, J. P. Pinto, V. Alexandre, J. P. Machado-de-Sousa, S. L. Morais, C. Chaves, A. C. Sakamoto, A. W. Zuardi, J. A. S. Crippa, J. E. Hallak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2010-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/534027
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Summary:One of the subjects that most concerns physicians is treatment-resistance. About 30%–60% of schizophrenia patients do not respond adequately to antipsychotic treatment and are known as refractory schizophrenia patients. Clozapine has been the drug of choice in such cases. However, approximately 30% of them do not respond to clozapine either. Here, we describe a patient with an initial diagnosis of refractory schizophrenia who had a history of dramatic aggressiveness. However, in this case, “refractoriness” was a wrong diagnosis. A case of psychosis secondary to epilepsy had been treated as schizophrenia for almost 20 years. Reports like this one are important because they remind us of how a thorough investigation can lead to the correct diagnosis and improve the patient's prognosis.
ISSN:1687-9627
1687-9635