Comparison of catatonia presentation in patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders in Lagos,Nigeria

Objective: to compare the clinical profile and pattern of catatonic symptoms of patients with schizophrenia and mood disorder. method: records of 13,968 patients seen between 1983-1985 and 2003-2005 were reviewed for symptoms of catatonia by resident doctors in psychiatry. cases in which the diagnosis were schizophrenia or mood disorder were then noted. socio-demographic and clinical features were described for each diagnosis. results: there were a total of 98 cases with catatonia out of the 13,968 case notes reviewed. schizophrenia accounted for 82.5% and 53.4% in the two periods,while the proportion associated with mood disorders increased from 10% to 20.7%. male to female ratio was 1.2:1 in schizophrenia and 1:3 in mood disorder. those with schizophrenia were younger and with an earlier age of onset of symptoms than those with mood disorders. conclusion: catatonia associated with mood disorder was found to be increasing over the years when compared with schizophrenia. differences were observed in socio-demographic characteristics and number of predominant catatonic symptoms. having a separate category for catatonia due to the mood disorders in the current diagnostic guidelines (10 th edition of the international classification of diseases and the 4 th edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual) will help in better diagnosis of catatonia.