Catatonia in Neurologic and Psychiatric Patients at a Tertiary Neurological Center

This study describes the prevalence, phenomenology, treatment, and outcome of neurological patients and psychiatric patients with catatonia at a tertiary neurological center. Clinical variables included nosological diagnoses and complications. Admission length and days with catatonia were used as outcome measures. Of 2,044 patients who were evaluated prospectively, 68 (3.32%) had catatonia, 42 (61.7%) were neurological patients, 19 (27.9%) were psychiatric patients, and 7 (10.2%) had drug-related diagnoses. Of all patients, the ratio of neurological to psychiatric patients was 3:1. Encephalitis was the most common diagnosis (N=26 [38.2%]), followed by schizophrenia (N=12 [17.6%]). Psychiatric patients exhibited a stuporous type of catatonia (15 [83.3%] versus 14 [33.3%], p>0.001), whereas neurological patients exhibited a mixed form of catatonia (25 [59.5%] versus 1 [5.6], p<0.001). Neurological patients had more complications, longer hospitalizations, and more days with catatonia. A total of 56 patients (82.3%) received lorazepam, and 14 patients (20.5%) underwent ECT. Second- and third-line treatments included amantadine, bromocriptine, and levodopa. Catatonia is a prevalent syndrome that can remit with proper and opportune treatment.