Catatonia and dementia: A case series
Schorr, Benoit
Catatonia and dementia: A case series - 2025.
86
Catatonia is a syndrome combining a variety of psychomotor and behavioral symptoms. In older adults, it is underdiagnosed and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the links between catatonia and dementia. In this article, we propose a “real-life” case series of five patients with dementia and catatonia, in order to explore these associations. In our cases, major depression was strongly associated with catatonia (4/5), and two patients had bipolar disorder. Iatrogenic factors, notably the use of antipsychotics, were linked to catatonia in three patients. Two patients had dementia with Lewy bodies and one had suspected frontotemporal lobar degeneration. These are the two forms of dementia most frequently associated with catatonia. In one patient, catatonia had been mistaken for delirium. It is important to actively look for and treat catatonia in this context.
Catatonia and dementia: A case series - 2025.
86
Catatonia is a syndrome combining a variety of psychomotor and behavioral symptoms. In older adults, it is underdiagnosed and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the links between catatonia and dementia. In this article, we propose a “real-life” case series of five patients with dementia and catatonia, in order to explore these associations. In our cases, major depression was strongly associated with catatonia (4/5), and two patients had bipolar disorder. Iatrogenic factors, notably the use of antipsychotics, were linked to catatonia in three patients. Two patients had dementia with Lewy bodies and one had suspected frontotemporal lobar degeneration. These are the two forms of dementia most frequently associated with catatonia. In one patient, catatonia had been mistaken for delirium. It is important to actively look for and treat catatonia in this context.
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