COVID-19 Catatonia-Would We Even Know?

Clinical Features of First-episode Psychoses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION: The pandemic of the new coronavirus infection has become one of the most significant global social shocks in the past decade. It influenced the lifestyle of many people, including those with mental disorders. AIM: To compare the psychopathological structure of psychotic states in young patients (up to 40 years old) with first-episode psychosis before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The research was conducted at the First psychotic episode clinic of the Mental-health clinic No. 1 n.a. N.A. Alexeev, Moscow, Russia. In total, 66 patients were enrolled, who met the inclusion criteria: first-in-life admission to a mental healthcare unit that occurred during the spring of 2019 (control group) or spring 2020 (experimental group), diagnosis on admission that belonged to the group Acute and transient psychotic disorders (F23.XX) of ICD-10. Patients with a disability or concurrent somatic or neurologic conditions were excluded from the study. Assessment of clinical and psychopathological characteristics with the allocation of the leading syndrome within the psychotic state, psychometric assessment according to the PANSS scale was carried out, the above indicators were compared between the experimental and control group. RESULTS: We observed statistically insignificant increase in the rates of affective and catatonic subtypes of psychoses, a decrease in the rate of the delusional subtype of paranoid syndrome. PANSS scores differed significantly for different clinical subtypes of psychoses, although the differences between the experimental and control groups showed no statistical significance. Additionally, in spring 2020, a considerable decrease in the total number of hospitalizations was revealed. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in the clinical and psychopathological structure of psychotic states revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic were statistically insignificant. Additional results of the study may indicate a decrease in the availability of mental healthcare for patients with psychoses, which requires further investigation.

New-Onset Catatonia and Delirium in a COVID-Positive Patient

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a strain of coronavirus family, which was initially found in China in late 2019 and subsequently spread to rest of the world. COVID-19 has led to physical and mental health complications since its onset. In addition to the pandemic-associated social stresses, biological complications include direct viral encephalitis, autoimmune-mediated responses, medication side effects, hypoxic brain injury, and delirium, which can collectively cause varied presentations of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Neuropsychiatric complications have been reported in the acute stages of COVID-19 and post-infection period. Here we report our experience treating a patient who initially presented with a severe depressive episode and subsequently developed catatonia and delirium following hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection.

Clinical case of catatonic stupor developed as a result of acute respiratory disease COVID-19

The aim of this work is to demonstrate and analyze a clinical case of catatonic stupor as a consequence of the complex effect of the infectious process, namely systemic inflammation and direct neurotoxicity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the nervous system. A retrospective analysis of outpatient and inpatient medical records was performed. . Analysis of clinical case proves the possibility of catatonic syndrome due to acute respiratory disease COVID-19. 2. Given that catatonia is an urgent condition, it is necessary to be vigilant about its occurrence

A Case of Fatal Catatonia in a COVID-19 Patient

COVID-19 has been associated with numerous complications, primarily pulmonary in origin. However, there have been several neurological sequelae of COVID-19 as well, one of the rarer complications is catatonia. In this already vulnerable population, it is imperative for the early diagnosis of catatonia and starting treatment. Delay in treatment of catatonia can be fatal from secondary complications as seen here. We discuss a case of a 62-year-old female that presented with mild COVID pneumonia, subsequently developed catatonia precipitated by COVID-19 encephalitis, which ultimately led to her death from complications.