Nearly half of catatonia patients experience recurrent episodes, which are associated with repeated hospitalizations, functional deterioration, and increased mortality. Studies of how different treatments administered during catatonic episodes affect the risk of recurrence have found inconsistent results. Therefore, a retrospective cohort study of 205 patients hospitalized with catatonia was recently conducted. In this cohort, 31% of patients experienced recurrent catatonia over a median follow-up of 6.4 years. Benzodiazepine use was associated with lower risk of recurrence, whereas antipsychotic use was associated with lower risk of recurrence in the first 60 days after a catatonia episode but was associated with increased risk beyond 60 days. No significant association with recurrence was identified for ECT or mood stabilizers. These results suggest that different treatments are associated with different risks of recurrence in catatonia and that these differences should be considered when planning maintenance treatment.
Reference:
Patarroyo-Rodriguez L et al. Journal of Affective Disorders 2026, Epub ahead of print. Abstract.