Objective: Catatonia is a syndrome that can be missed in clinical
settings. Diagnosis of catatonia is important because the condition can
be reversible and is associated with severe complications. This study
aims to screen patients with catatonia admitted to a university hospital’s
psychiatry and neurology services, examine their characteristics, and
compare the coverage of different catatonia scales.
Method: During a consecutive 20 months study period, the Turkish
adaptations of the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating and the KANNER
scales were administered in psychiatry and neurology inpatient units
and patients on the waiting list for psychiatric hospitalization. The
participants were also evaluated with DSM-5 criteria. In addition,
the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients in the
psychiatric group were compared.
Results: A total of 214 patients were evaluated. Twenty-eight (13.1%)
screened positive for catatonia, and 23 (82.1%) were diagnosed
with catatonia according to DSM-5 criteria. KANNER and Bush-
Francis identified the same patients as having catatonia. In addition
to schizophrenia and mood disorders; neurodevelopmental disorder,
encephalitis, postpartum psychosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
delirium, cerebrovascular disease, functional neurological symptom
disorder have also been found to be associated with catatonia. The most
common complication was urinary tract infection. Life-threatening
complications were also observed.
Conclusion: Overlooking catatonia may have dire consequences.
Adhering solely to the DSM-5 criteria may miss some patients with
catatonia. Widely and efficiently using standardized catatonia scales can
improve detection capacity and enhance the management of morbidity
and mortality.
Keywords: Catatonia, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Diagnosis,
Neurology, Mental Disorders, Mood Disorders, Neurodevelopmental
Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Schizophrenia