title: Catatonic signs in medical and psychiatric catatonias.
abstract: Patients with psychiatric catatonias vs those with medical catatonias may differ in catatonic phenomenology. To determine if these could be distinguished, the following methods were used: 1) a review of the literature; 2) a chart review; and 3) a prospective series. The literature review of 467 reports of medical catatonias yielded 240 cases that met research criteria. A chart review of 47 episodes of catatonia revealed a higher frequency of negativism in patients with medical catatonias. Prospective data obtained from rating scales revealed an increased frequency of echophenomena in patients with medical catatonias; however, no discriminate pattern of catatonic signs for medical catatonias arose. Overall, catatonic signs appear to share a similar distribution. These findings suggest that psychiatric and medical catatonias are indistinguishable based upon catatonic sign.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Goforth