Journal article
Hospitalizations for pediatric catatonia in neurodivergent and neurotypical patients
General hospital psychiatry, Vol.95, pp.133-139
07/01/2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.05.003
PMCID: PMC12146084
PMID: 40367741
Abstract
Introduction: Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric disorder that occurs in pediatric patients with a range of associated medical, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). This study describes hospital care of pediatric catatonia patients and compares treatments for neurotypical patients and those with NDDs. Methods: Retrospective cohort study from 1/1/2018 to 6/1/2023 of two academic medical centers of patients aged 18 and younger with catatonia. Patients were retrospectively assessed using the clinical global impressions-improvement (CGI-I) by two independent reviewers. Results: One hundred sixty-five patients were hospitalized for catatonia, of whom 50.3 % had an NDD. Median age was 15. One hundred sixty-four patients were treated with a benzodiazepine, with a median maximum 24-hour dose of 6 mg lorazepam-equivalents, which did not differ for patients with and without NDDs. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was utilized in 14.5 % of patients. Median length of medical hospitalization was 5 days and hospitalizations were longer in neurotypical patients than in patients with NDDs. In an ordinal regression model, the probability of observing at least "much improvement" (CGI < 3) was 88.3 % (95 % CI: 82.4 % to 92.3 %), with patients with a non-medical primary diagnosis and an NDD having a lower odds of response than nonmedical primary diagnosis without an NDD. Conclusions: The probability of patients achieving a CGI-I score indicating at least "much improvement" was 88.3 %. Administered benzodiazepine dose and ECT treatment were similar for all patients, but neurotypical patients had longer hospitalizations than those with NDDs and had a higher odds of a more favorable clinical response for patients with non-medical primary diagnoses. Research under controlled conditions is needed to optimize and endure equitable catatonia treatment in youth.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Hospitalizations for pediatric catatonia in neurodivergent and neurotypical patients
- Creators
- James Luccarelli - Massachusetts General HospitalJacqueline A. Clauss - Harvard UniversityTasia York - Vanderbilt University Medical CenterIsaac Baldwin - Vanderbilt University Medical CenterSimon Vandekar - Vanderbilt University Medical CenterTrey Mcgonigle - Vanderbilt University Medical CenterGregory Fricchione - Harvard UniversityCatherine Fuchs - Vanderbilt University Medical CenterJoshua R. Smith - Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- General hospital psychiatry, Vol.95, pp.133-139
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.05.003
- PMID
- 40367741
- PMCID
- PMC12146084
- NLM abbreviation
- Gen Hosp Psychiatry
- ISSN
- 0163-8343
- eISSN
- 1873-7714
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 7
- Grant note
- P50HD103537 / National Institute of Child and Human Development; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) T32MH112485 / National Institute of Mental Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/01/2025
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry
- Record Identifier
- 9985222825002771
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