TY  - INPR
Y1  - 2023/03/03/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2023.02.022
ID  - discovery10166862
N1  - © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
TI  - Catatonia in the peripartum: A cohort study using electronic health records
JF  - Schizophrenia Research
PB  - Elsevier BV
N2  - BACKGROUND: Due to limited existing literature available on the presentation and treatment of catatonia in the peripartum, this retrospective descriptive cohort study aimed to examine demographic data, catatonic features, diagnoses pre- and post-catatonic episodes, treatment and the presence of obstetric complications. METHODS: Individuals with catatonia were identified in a previous study using anonymised electronic healthcare records from a large mental health trust in South-East London. The presence of features from the Bush-Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument was coded by the investigators and longitudinal data were extracted from structured fields and free text. 

RESULTS: 21 individuals were identified from the larger cohort, each of whom experienced one episode of catatonia in the postpartum period, and all had had an inpatient psychiatric admission. 13 patients (62 %) presented after their first pregnancy and 12 (57 %) experienced obstetric complications. 11 (53 %) attempted breastfeeding and 10 (48 %) received a diagnosis of a depressive disorder following the episode of catatonia. The majority presented with immobility or stupor, mutism, staring and withdrawal. All were treated with antipsychotics and 19 (90 %) received benzodiazepines. 

CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that signs and symptoms of catatonia during the peripartum are similar to other catatonic presentations. However, the postpartum may be a period of high risk for catatonia and obstetric factors, such as birth complications, may be relevant.
KW  - Catatonia
KW  -  Electroconvulsive therapy
KW  -  Perinatal
KW  -  Peripartum
KW  -  Postnatal
KW  -  Postpartum
A1  - Delvi, Afraa
A1  - Wilson, Claire A
A1  - Jasani, Iman
A1  - Guliani, Joshana
A1  - Rao, Ranga
A1  - Seneviratne, Gertrude
A1  - Rogers, Jonathan P
SN  - 0920-9964
AV  - public
ER  -