MECT For Four Years in a Patient With ASD/Catatonia: Case Report in JECT

 Out on PubMed, in JECT, from clinicians in Massachusetts and Maryland, is this case report:

Multiyear Evaluation of Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy in an Adult With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Catatonia, and Challenging Behavior.

Bird F, Shah R, Williams S, Shlesinger A, Luiselli JK, Wachtel LE.J ECT. 2022 Apr 23. doi: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000000856. Online ahead of print.PMID: 35462379

The abstract is copied below:
We report the case of a 30-year-old man diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) over a 4-year period to treat catatonia associated with life-threatening self-injury, aggression, major depression, and associated self-care, daily living, and communication skills deficits. A systematic schedule of maintenance ECT (m-ECT) was associated with elimination of challenging behavior, catatonic and depressive symptom remission, removal of protective equipment, and reduced dosages of psychotropic medications.

The report is here.

And copied here:
This is a very detailed case report demonstrating the value of long-term maintenance ECT in a patient with (previously) severe self-injurious behaviors. The careful documentation of symptom frequency/concurrent treatment is noteworthy and helpful. As the authors state, such cases are important to document in the literature in order to expand the evidence base for this type of ECT usage.

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