Case study: Scheduled midazolam used in the treatment of catatonia

Abstract

In recent years, catatonia has been recognized to manifest from psychiatric, medical, and neurological conditions. This is a case of a 49-year-old Caucasian male with a history unspecified psychosis who presented to the emergency department with confusion. Following resolution of his conditions, subsequent visits noted in this study were later attributed to catatonia and psychosis due to non-adherence with his antipsychotic medication. Poor responses to lorazepam which lead to agitation, prompted the use of other benzodiazepines with the hopes to provide alternative therapeutic responses. The use of midazolam, intramuscularly and orally, was shown to be consistently effective for this patient's case of catatonia and his subsequent admissions. This case is unique as there is sparse literature supporting the utilization of oral midazolam in the context of catatonia.