Letter	Pharmacopsychiatry 2005; 38: 330-332 DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-916192
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York
Electroconvulsive Monotherapy in the Treatment of Acute Confusion Psychosis
A Case Report
A. H. Neuhaus1, J. Katchanov2, C. Opgen-Rhein1, P. Neu1, M. C. Jockers-Scherübl1
1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany 2 Department of Neurology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany

This report focuses on the successful treatment of a most acute case of confusion psychosis according to the concept of Karl Leonhard. The 18-year-old patient was hospitalized three times before the current episode and his case has been characterized as pharmacologically treatment-resistant psychosis since he failed to respond to any psychopharmacological therapy including sufficient clozapine medication. In the patient's history, typical and atypical antipsychotic as well as mood-stabilizing and sedating pharmacological treatments have been conducted. However, only adverse effects could be observed. When receiving electroconvulsive monotherapy (ECT), the patient showed a marked reduction of symptoms while experiencing no adverse effects. The implications of this finding are discussed with regard to Leonhard's diagnostic system.