Quetiapin is the only antipsychotic approved in the USA as a monotherapy for the treatment of both acute mania and depression associated with bipolar disorder.

The paper’s objective was to research the capabilities of quetiapin in the treatment of a patient with treatment-resistant organic affective disorder.

Considering the existence of recommendations for introducing an atypical antipsychotic as a therapy in the treatment of unipolar depression, we will demonstrate our experience in that indication.

The subject is a 69 year old patient whose mental disorders appeared for the first time two years ago. The current hospitalization occurred due to depressive and psychotic symptoms and suicidal tendencies. Since the patient had psychomotor inhibition to the point of stupor, and in order to obtain anamnestic data on cognitive disturbances, due to a diagnostic dilemma (dementia or pseudodementia within the affective disorder) the relevant diagnostics were completed: structured psychiatric interview, laboratory tests, internist examination, a brain scan, MMS test, HAM/D17, and CGI/S. Due to a poor response to the therapy and unwanted side effects of the applied drugs, the therapy was modified several times.

Quetiapin was introduced to the therapy up to a dose of 400 mg/d. With the introduction of quetiapin there was a reduction in the psychopathology. Improvement was noted in cognitive and work and social functioning.

The introduction of quetiapin as a monotherapy turned out to be effective in the treatment of therapy-resistant organic affective disorder, with good tolerability and no side effects.