P0067 - Social phobic symptoms associated with “atypical” antipsychotic treatment: A case report

Abstract

Aim:

The amenable neurochemical base of social phobia still completely has not been clarified, even if has been proposed a potential dysfunction of both serotonergic and dopaminergic brain systems.

Clozapine is the prototype “atypical” antipsychotic drug, defining the role of its individual complex actions. It has been reported that clozapine occasionally involves symptoms from the spectrum of anxiety disorders. These symptoms are attributed in the action of this particular drug mainly on the serotonergic system.

In this study is presented the case of a schizophrenic subject, who developed social phobia at the duration of his treatment with clozapine and while he was found in remission of his psychotic symptoms.

Case:

The patient is man of 24 years and has a 3-year history of schizophrenia, paranoid type. In his history also is reported casual abuse of Indian cannabis as well as alcohol.

Presented symptomatology of social phobia the first interval of his treatment with clozapine (14th week) and while the psychotic symptoms had receded. When in his treatment it was added sertraline, the social anxiety disorder was decreased in remarkable degree. The daily dose of clozapine was maintained immutable.

Conclusions:

The elements are discussed under the light of new neurochemical opinion but also psychodynamic approach of make, that could explain the appearance of symptoms from the spectrum of anxiety disorders (as the social phobia) in a clozapine-treated psychotic patient, at the duration of remission of his psychotic symptomatology.