Catatonia in acute psychiatric patients

Abstract

Introduction Over the past years, catatonia received increasing attention. The concept of catatonia has been decoupled from schizophrenia and broadened. Aim The aim of our prospective study was to determine the prevalence of catatonia in patients admitted to an acute psychiatric ward. Material and methods We examined all patients acutely admitted to the Centre for Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine (CPAM) of Szent Istvan and Szent Laszlo Hospitals, from 01/04/2015 to 31/07/2015. We used Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument (BFCSI) for the assessment of catatonic signs. In case of presence of 2 or more symptoms on BFCSI, the severity of catatonia was rated with Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS). After detailed clinical examination, we used Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Mini Mental State Examination and Clock Drawing Test in setting up a diagnose. Results In the study period, altogether 338 patients were admitted to CPAM. Catatonia could be diagnosed in 8.55% of them, according to BFCRS and in case of 5.02% the diagnosis of catatonia could be set up according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Female patients were present in 58.62%. The mean age was 57.62 years. Schizophrenia spectrum disorder was diagnose in 41.3%, dementia in 27.5%, affective disorder in 6.89%, alcohol, drug withdrawal syndrome, Down syndrome and mental retardation in 3.44% each, other organic disease in 10.34% of all catatonia cases. Conclusion Catatonia can be present in a variety of psychiatric conditions. Its specific therapy gives a special importance to the recognition of this syndrome.