Author/Authors :
Abad، Nazir Hashemi نويسنده Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Yasouj University of Medical Science, Yasouj, Iran Abad, Nazir Hashemi , Doulatabad، Najafi Shala نويسنده Department of Nursing, College of Nursing & Midwifery, Yasouj University of Medical Science, Yasouj, Iran Doulatabad, Najafi Shala , Mohammadi، Ali نويسنده , , Ghafarian Srazi، Hamid Reza نويسنده Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine; Yasouj University of Medical Sciences, Yasouj, Iran
Department of Epidemiology And Biostatistics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, School of Public Health, Tehran, Iran Ghafarian Srazi, Hamid Reza
Abstract :
Schizophrenia and various neurological disorders have some signs and symptoms. Visual hallucinations are one of such disorders. The related studies in some diseases for example Parkinson Disease and Lewy Body Dementia indicate that Acetylcholine (Ach) plays a significant role in neuropsychiatric manifestation and its association with visual hallucination; therefore, visual hallucinations occur due to the depletion of Ach. Drug therapies such as Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) for increasing Ach level may be beneficial in treating visual hallucination. AchEIʹs have been used in the treatment of visual hallucinations in Dementia and Parkinsonʹs Disease. We thought that a similar Ach depletion may cause visual hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia and may provide a target for drug treatment. We had a patient with schizophrenia whose psychotic symptoms responded to the treatment plan, but her visual hallucination did not. However, the patientʹs visual hallucination successfully responded to Rivastigmine (AchEI).This case illustrates the use of an AchEI in the treatment of refractory visual hallucinations in a patient with schizophrenia.
