Open AccessDoes clozapine improve competency restoration? a case report of schizophrenia patient opined incompetent to stand trial unlikely to be restored
Author(s) -
Aqeel Hashmi,
Ajay K. Parsaik
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of mental health and human behaviour/journal of mental health and human behaviour
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2543-1897
pISSN - 0971-8990
DOI - 10.4103/0971-8990.182092
Subject(s) - clozapine , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , antipsychotic , psychiatry , medicine , psychology
A number of defendants with chronic psychotic disorders are opined incompetent to stand trial and are subsequently committed for competency restoration. To the best of our knowledge, the role of clozapine in restoring competency among defendants suffering from treatment-resistant schizophrenia has not been previously reported. This article reports a defendant with a diagnosis of treatment-resistant schizophrenia, who was treated with clozapine and restored to competency within a short duration. During a subsequent hospitalization, the same patient was treated with different antipsychotic medications and was found “incompetent to stand trial and unlikely to be restored.” Therefore, clozapine may play an important role in restoring competency in patients with chronic psychotic illness. The authors discuss the potential benefits and underutilization of clozapine therapy in competency restoration