Social Psychiatry, Vol. 54 No. 2, 2026.
Meeting abstract
https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.276
Long-Acting Aripiprazole in the Treatment of Dissociative Motor Disorder: A Case Report
Luka Novak
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia
*
Tonći Mastelić
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia; Department of Psychological Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia
Eliana Burilović
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia
Matea Katić
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia
Marjana Milanović
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia; Department of Psychological Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia
Nikola Sikirica
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia
Davor Lasić
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Dissociative motor disorder is a diagnosis for
which a long time often passes from the onset of
symptoms to recognition of the illness. Aripiprazole,
which is specific in its action as a partial
agonist of dopamine receptors, could be an excellent
treatment choice for this disorder. The aim
is to present the case of a female patient treated
with a long‑acting aripiprazole formulation. She
was treated under the diagnoses of dissociative
motor disorder and other mood disorders at the
Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of
Split, in early 2026. She had only recently reached
adulthood and had been in psychiatric treatment for the past several years. Since childhood, she
had experienced depersonalization and derealization
phenomena, but in recent years, in the context
of stressful situations, she developed muscle
spasms in the upper part of the body. Most often,
one side of the body would be affected; the mouth
would be partially closed, resembling trismus, and
the patient was unable to speak while the spasms
lasted. She had experienced these symptoms even
before the initiation of psychopharmacological
treatment. She underwent extensive neurological,
immunological, and radiological workup, but
no organic causes were found. During hospitalization,
the patient was treated with a combination
of long‑acting aripiprazole and quetiapine. This
approach had a dual rationale: the patient had
attempted suicide by overdosing on psychopharmaceuticals,
making a long‑acting formulation a
logical choice, and aripiprazole itself acted as a
stabilizer in the context of a mood disorder diagnosis.
After the treatment, the frequency and
intensity of the spasms decreased. It appears that
blockade of dopamine receptors has a positive effect
on the treatment of dissociative disorders.
Research on this topic is scarce and mostly refers
to older antipsychotics, whose strong dopamine
receptor blockade can have depressogenic effects
and cause extrapyramidal symptoms. Aripiprazole
is a partial dopamine agonist and, due to its
balanced action on the dopaminergic system, may
prove to be the drug of choice. Further studies
are needed to support the hypothesis regarding
the effects and usefulness of this medication in
dissociative disorders, including in the treatment
of dissociative motor disorder.
Keywords
long‑acting aripiprazole; dissociative motor disorder; dopamine; stabilizers; spasm
Hrčak ID:
352963
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2026.
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