Amit Zutshi

Clinical predictors of response to treatment in catatonia

OBJECTIVE This study aims at identifying predictors of treatment response to lorazepam in catatonia. METHODS The clinical charts of 107 inpatients, admitted over duration of 2 years, with a primary diagnosis of catatonia were examined for response to lorazepam trial. Trial was considered as having received 3-6 mg per day of lorazepam for at least 3 days. RESULTS Out of these 107 patients, 99 received lorazepam and 8 received electroconvulsive therapy as the first line of management. There were 32 responders and 67 nonresponders to lorazepam. The nonresponders were characterized by rural background (85.1% vs. 62.5%, P=.01), longer duration of catatonic symptoms (108.88 vs. 25.12 days, P=.018), mutism (63.6% vs. 31.3%, P=.02) and presence of first-rank symptoms like third-person auditory discussing-type hallucinations (16.4% vs. 12.0%, P=.03) and made phenomena (7.5% vs. 0%, P=.04). The presence of waxy flexibility (12.5% vs. 4.5%, P=.03) predicted good response. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies that longer duration of illness, presence of catatonic sign of mutism and certain specific phenomena like third-person auditory hallucinations and made phenomena predicted poor response to lorazepam in catatonia. This could provide insight into the prediction and planning of the appropriate treatment strategies in this psychiatric emergency.

Response rate of lorazepam in catatonia: A developing country's perspective

BACKGROUND Catatonia is a syndrome characterized by concurrent motor, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Short-term benzodiazepine administration and electroconvulsive therapy have proven to be safe and useful for treatment of this syndrome. AIMS This study aimed to explore the evidence of effectiveness of lorazepam as a first line treatment for catatonia in a tertiary psychiatry centre in India given the lack of facilities for ECT in primary care centers of developing countries. We examined the response rate of lorazepam in Catatonia. METHODOLOGY Clinical charts of 107 inpatients, admitted over a duration of two years, with a primary diagnosis of catatonia were examined for response with lorazepam trial. Trial was considered as having received 3-6 mg per day of lorazepam for at least 3 days. RESULTS Among the patients who were given lorazepam treatment, 32 out of 99 (32.3%) showed response (with complete resolution of catatonic symptoms). Improvement in catatonic symptoms was seen in 68 out of 99 (68.7%) patients. CONCLUSIONS Lorazepam is cost effective and could rapidly relieve catatonic signs, even without the use of ECT in a significant proportion of catatonic patients. Its early use can prevent disease progression and complications.

A 5-year course of predominantly obsessive vs. mixed subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is considered a heterogeneous disorder. One of the traditional approaches to subtype OCD is based on the predominance of obsessions, compulsions or both. Some studies suggest that the “predominantly obsessive” subtype of OCD may have poor outcome, whereas few other studies suggest that “mixed” OCD is associated with poor outcome. Therefore, it is not clear if the long-term course of “predominantly obsessive” subjects is different from those with “mixed” OCD. In the establishment of diagnostic validity of psychiatric conditions, differential course is an important validating factor. Aim: This study compares the 5-6 year course of the “predominantly obsessive” subtype with that of the “mixed” subtype of OCD with the objective of determining if the course of OCD differs according to subtypes and whether course could be a validating factor for subtyping OCD based on predominance of obsessions, compulsions or both. Setting and Design: Tertiary hospital, institutional setting. The study has a retrospective cohort design. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four subjects with “predominantly obsessions” and an equal number of the “mixed” subtype of OCD were recruited from the database of a specialty OCD clinic of a major psychiatric hospital. They were followed up after 5-6 years. The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) checklist and severity rating scale was used for assessing OCD. The course of OCD was determined according to predefined criteria. Statistics: The Chi-square/Fishers exact test and the independent samples “t” test were used to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Correlations were tested using the Pearsons correlation analysis. Results: Thirty-eight “predominantly obsessive” (70%) and 39 “mixed” (72%) OCD subjects could be traced and evaluated. The course of illness was similar in the two subtypes. A majority of the sample (72%) did not have clinical OCD at follow-up. Conclusions: “Predominantly obsessive” subjects have a course similar to those with “mixed” OCD. Clinically, it is reassuring to know that obsessive subjects do not have an unfavorable course as was suggested by some previous studies. In this sample, course did not validate the subtyping method employed, but it would be premature to conclude that the subtyping method employed is incorrect based on the course alone. Prospective study of the course in larger samples and neurobiological and family-genetic data may help further validation.

Clinical Presentation and Course of Persistent Delusional Disorder: Data From a Tertiary Care Center in India.

OBJECTIVE Despite its long history as a psychiatric diagnosis, little is known about the sociodemographic and clinical profile of persistent delusional disorder (PDD) or its subtypes, treatment response, and outcomes, particularly in India. We examined the clinical characteristics and course of PDD in patients presenting to a tertiary neuropsychiatry center in India. METHOD A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with PDD (ICD-10) between January 2000 and May 2014 was conducted. Sociodemographic and clinical data including age at onset, total duration of the illness, clinical symptoms and treatment, hospitalizations, occupational functioning, and follow-up were extracted from the files. The study was approved by the institute ethics committee. RESULTS The sample (N = 455) consisted of 236 men and 219 women. The mean age at onset was 32.36 ± 10.47 years. The most common delusion was infidelity (n = 203, 44.6%) followed by persecution (n = 149, 32.7%). Hallucinations were present in 78 (17.1%), depressive symptoms in 187 (41.1%), and comorbid substance dependence in 61 (13.4%) subjects; 141 subjects (31.0%) had a family history of mental illness. Follow-up data were available for 308 subjects, of whom 285 (92.5%) reported good compliance with medication. Of the subjects, 163 (52.9%) showed a good response to treatment. The diagnosis of PDD remained unchanged in 274 of 308 subjects (88.9%). CONCLUSION In our center, PDD appears to be uncommon and has a near-equal gender representation. Infidelity was the most common delusion, which is in contrast to the reported literature. The diagnosis of PDD appears to be stable with good response to atypical antipsychotics if compliance can be ensured.