Se. Starkstein et al., CATATONIA IN DEPRESSION - PREVALENCE, CLINICAL CORRELATES, AND VALIDATION OF A SCALE, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 60(3), 1996, pp. 326-332
Objectives-To examine the clinical correlates of catatonia in depressi
on, to validate a scale for catatonia, and to assess the validity of t
he DSM-IV criteria of the catatonic features specifier for mood disord
ers. Methods-A series of 79 consecutive patients with depression and 4
1 patients with Parkinson's disease without depression were examined u
sing the modified Rogers scale (MRS), the unified Parkinson's disease
rating scale (UPDRS), and the structured clinical interview for DSM-II
I-R (SCID). Results-Sixteen of the 79 depressed patients (20%) had cat
atonia. Depressed patients with catatonia had significantly higher sco
res on the MRS than non-catatonic depressed patients matched for sever
ity of depression, or non-depressed patients with Parkinson's disease
matched for severity of motor impairment. Depressed patients with cata
tonia were older, had a significantly higher frequency of major depres
sion, more severe cognitive impairments, and more severe deficits in a
ctivities of daily living than depressed non-catatonic patients. The D
SM-IV criteria of catatonia separated depressed catatonic patients pat
ients with Parkinson's matched for motor impairment, with a specificit
y of 100%. Catatonic signs did not improve after apomorphine. Conclusi
ons-catatonia is most prevalent among elderly patients with severe dep
ression. The study showed the validity of the MRS for the diagnosis of
catatonia in depressed patients, as well as the specificity ficity of
the DSM-IV criteria of the catatonic features specifier.