title: Catatonia and consultation-liaison psychiatry study of 12 cases.
abstract: Nowadays, catatonia is no more considered as a subtype of schizophrenia. Catatonia seems more frequently associated to mood disorders as well as general medical conditions. It is sometimes difficult to associate formally a medical etiology to this syndrome. But we found, in the literature, three groups of associated general medical conditions: neurological disorders, drug induced and toxic induced conditions, metabolic conditions. We present a prospective study of 12 clinical cases of catatonia due to general medical conditions we realized in the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Department of the University Hospital of LILLE (France) during a period of 5 months. We find coherent data with the literature. However, our results suggest that if medical conditions precipitate the catatonia syndrome, they are rarely its only etiology. We think that if somatic factors are co-morbid with psychiatric conditions they do not necessarily predominate as the target of treatment. The treatment of the catatonia must be a priority and remain symptomatic, to allow in parallel the specific treatment for the somatic disorder or the psychiatric disorder.
authors.affiliation: Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Department, Psycho-Oncology Department, University of Lille 2, University Hospital of Lille, Fontan Hospital, Rue Verhaeghe 59037 Lille Cedex, France. ocottencin@chru-lille.fr
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cottencin
authors.forename: Frédérique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Warembourg
authors.forename: Marie Bérengère
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: de Chouly de Lenclave
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vaiva
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goudemand
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002389:Catatonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation