Journal of Aging Science

Abstract

Klazomania: A Rare Case of Compulsive Screaming, Complicating Major Depression, Effectively Treated with Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Prashanth Pillai, Nithin Krishna and William Regenold

We describe a rare case of a 57-year-old women diagnosed with Klazomania (compulsive shouting), rarely reported in literature, complicated by Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), refractory to medical management and treated successfully using electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This is a unique presentation in which compulsions occurring in the context of MDD involved shouting rather than more typical compulsions such as hand washing or counting. Potential neurological disorders were ruled out through an extensive diagnostic workup prior to a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Her episodic compulsive shouting abated and eventually remitted after a 12- session course of ECT.