Zolpidem test and catatonia.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND

OBJECTIVE

There is no consensus regarding treatment of catatonia and the main recent therapeutic progress has been the development of the zolpidem diagnostic and therapeutic test. We report on the use of this test in one of our patients.

CASES SUMMARY: Mr. S. suffered from a paranoid schizophrenia. Three episodes of catatonia are described to illustrate the effect of zolpidem in a patient for whom lorazepam was ineffective or inadequate.

WHAT IS NEW AND

CONCLUSION

Zolpidem with appropriate testing appears to be a credible alternative to electroconvulsive therapy or increased lorazepam dosing and allows continuation of antipsychotic administration.