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Catatonia is often overlooked, and a key factor for underdiagnosis may be an inadequate understanding of catatonia's heterogeneous phenotypes. The aim of this study was to identify the current state of theoretical and applied knowledge of catatonic features among psychiatry trainees and practitioners using the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS), the most commonly used instrument to identify and score catatonia. We created an online 50-item multiple-choice test and 3-minute standardized patient video to be scored using the BFCRS. Email invitations were sent to medical students and psychiatry residents and fellows through listservs of psychiatry clerkship and residency directors and to consultation-liaison psychiatrists through the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Participants could access the exam from October 1 to December 31, 2020. In our sample (n = 482), participants correctly answered an average of 55% of test questions and identified 69% of BFCRS items on the standardized patient exam. Multivariable regression adjusting for demographics revealed that, compared to medical students, psychiatrists scored 7 points higher on the multiple-choice test and identified only 2 more items correctly on the BFCRS. Older participants performed worse than younger participants. No meaningful performance differences were identified by region or gender. Several items were consistently misidentified. We found significant inaccuracies in clinicians' understanding of catatonic features irrespective of their stage of training and years of experience. These data suggest prevalent gaps in catatonia recognition among psychiatrists, psychiatry trainees, and medical students utilizing the BFCRS. This has important implications for clinical research and patient care.
Wortzel et al. (Mon,) studied this question.