Citation

Olivola M, Arienti V, Bassetti N, Civardi S, Brondino N. EXCLI J 2022; 21: 540-543.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Publisher University of Mainz)

DOI

10.17179/excli2022-4694

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Major depression is a common comorbidity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often difficult to identify and to treat. Autistic subjects are more at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared to typically developing peers. Unfortunately, ASD individuals are more frequently treatment-resistant and often show side-effects which reduce efficacy. Intranasal esketamine has been recently approved as an add-on medication for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but it has never been used in ASD with comorbid major depression. Of note, a pilot study of intranasal ketamine has shown no effect on social withdrawal in ASD without depression. The present case report describes the first girl with ASD and comorbid TRD treated with intranasal esketamine. © 2022, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; aripiprazole; Article; asenapine; autism; Autism spectrum disorders; bipolar disorder; case report; Caucasian; child psychiatry; childhood; childhood adversity; clinical article; Columbia suicide severity rating scale; Depression; dissociative experiences scale; drug efficacy; drug safety; drug substitution; drug withdrawal; esketamine; Esketamine; family history; female; fluvoxamine; grandfather; grandmother; high school; hospital patient; human; intellectual impairment; intelligence quotient; interpersonal communication; lithium; lurasidone; major depression; maternal inheritance; mental disease; Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale; outpatient department; panic; paternal inheritance; peer group; Psychache Scale; psychotherapy; Qualitative Abnormalities in Reciprocal Social Interaction 14; qualitative research; quetiapine; Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test; repeated drug dose; Restricted, Repetitive, and Stereotyped Patterns of Behavior 7; sertraline; social competence; social interaction; Social Responsiveness Scale; suicidal ideation; treatment failure; treatment resistant depression; Treatment-resistant; university; valproic acid; vortioxetine; without intellectual disability; young adult