Catatonia Psychopathology and Phenomenology in a Large Dataset.
Frontiers in psychiatry January 1, 2022 Eleanor Dawkins, Leola Cruden-Smith, Ben Carter et al. 37 citations
Catatonia involves both observable clinical signs and internal subjective experiences, yet the latter is understudied. Analyzing electronic health records of 1,456 patients with validated catatonia from a London mental health trust, the most common signs were mutism, immobility/stupor, and withdrawal. Cluster analysis yielded negative and positive clinical features; principal component analysis identified three components: parakinetic, hypokinetic, and withdrawal. The parakinetic component associated with women, neurodevelopmental disorders, and longer admissions; hypokinetic with catatonia relapse; withdrawal with men and mood disorders. Among 68 patients with phenomenological data, 35% expressed fear, but 72% provided a meaningful narrative explanation involving hallucinations, delusions, or non-psychotic rationales, suggesting subjective experiences are varied and often explanatory.