Trauma-induced Catatonia in Pediatric Patients: Case Series and Literature Review.

Abstract

Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome that can present secondary to mood and psychotic disorders, other medical conditions, antipsychotic use, and alcohol withdrawal (Rasmussen et al., World Journal of Psychiatry, 6:391-398, 2016). In addition, acute and chronic trauma are increasingly recognized as a substrate for catatonia (Dhossche et al., Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 125:25-32, 2012). Catatonia is a clinical diagnosis that relies on standardized examination of the patient. The Pediatric Catatonia Rating Scale (PCRS) was modified from the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale and validated in children and adolescents (Benarous et al., Schizophrenia Research, 176:378-386, 2016). Changes included the addition of urinary incontinence, schizophasia and acrocyanosis; and withdrawal was separated into refusal to eat or drink and social withdrawal (Benarous et al., Schizophrenia Research, 176:378-386, 2016). In both pediatric and adult patients, catatonia must be differentiated from other movement disorder emergencies such as serotonin syndrome and neuroleptic malignant syndrome, which can also present with altered mental status and autonomic dysfunction (Rajan et al., Seminars in Neurology, 39:125-136, 2019). In pediatric patients, catatonia may be the genuine diagnosis in cases of Resignation Syndrome and Pervasive Refusal Syndrome (Sallin et al., Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 10(7), 2016; Ngo and Hodes, Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25:227-241, 2019). The literature on pediatric catatonia is scarce but nevertheless expanding. Herein, we contribute to the literature by reporting four complex cases of pediatric catatonia that appear to have been triggered by a traumatic event and further reviewing the role of acute and chronic trauma in the presentation of pediatric catatonia.