%K Catatonia, Electroconvulsive therapy, Perinatal, Peripartum, Postnatal, Postpartum
%T Catatonia in the peripartum: A cohort study using electronic health records
%C Netherlands
%D 2023
%X 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.
%L discovery10166862
%I Elsevier BV
%O © 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/)
%A Afraa Delvi
%A Claire A Wilson
%A Iman Jasani
%A Joshana Guliani
%A Ranga Rao
%A Gertrude Seneviratne
%A Jonathan P Rogers
%J Schizophrenia Research