Use of aripiprazole in the treatment of catatonia

INTRODUCTION: Successful aripiprazole treatment of catatonia was reported in some recent case reports. METHOD: Review of the literature and three case reports. RESULTS: In the presented cases it was demonstrated that aripiprazole was effective in the treatment of catatonia in patients with schizophrenia, major depression or brief psychotic disorder. CONCLUSION: Besides benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy, aripiprazole might be an alternative treatment for catatonia, however randomized controlled trials are required to prove the effectiveness of aripiprazole in patients with catatonia.