EPA-1609 - Olanzapine, a Good Choice for Tactile Hallucinations of Blind Schizophrenic Patients

Abstract

Introduction

Because blind patients with schizophrenia are not so many, we don't have much information about their psychotic symptoms, neither about their treatment.

Objectives

The hallucinations of blind schizophrenic patients could be different from unblind patients, due to impairment of their visual function.

Aims

Analysis of psychotic symptoms and antipsychotic treatment of blind schizophrenic patients could provide new information about their features and treatment.

Methods

We had two case studies, both diagnosed with schizophrenia, multiple episodes, currently in acute episode according to DSM V. Both patients were treated with olanzapine 10mg/day.

Results

The psychotic symptoms of both patients had the same particularity, the presence of tactile hallucinations (both patients describe insects moving on and in the skin, with repeated attempts to remove them, producing secondary skin lesions). Both patients had a good response and remission of this symptoms after 14 days of treatment with olanzapine 10mg/day. The PANSS score had a reduction on hallucinatory behavior item from 5 to 1 for the first patient and from 6 to 2 for the second patient, for both after 14 days of treatment.

Conclusions

We presume that tactile hallucinations could be specific for these two cases. Treatment with olanzapine (an antipsychotic with a large receptoral spectrum) was a good choice in these cases.