Background: The pathogenesis of ballism is uncertain and may involve more than one mechanism; treatment is not always efficacious.
Objective: To provide evidence of a nondopaminergic mechanism and the potential for a prompt and nearly complete response to a serotonergic agent.
Methods: Report of 2 separate trials of sertraline hydrochloride in a single patient.
Results: Complete remission of symptoms within 48 hours of each drug trial.
Conclusion: Sertraline may offer an alternative with a better adverse effect profile than dopamine receptor blockers in the treatment of patients with ballism.