Catatonia Education: Needs Assessment and Brief Online Intervention

Abstract

Residents' baseline knowledge of catatonia is low, particularly among internal medicine residents. A brief online module improved resident physicians' knowledge of catatonia. Educational strategies to improve recognition of catatonia should be implemented.

<p>Electroconvulsive Therapy for Patients with Catatonia: Current Perspectives</p>

“…There is reason to be hopeful, as two small studies demonstrated that catatonia-specific education is correlated with improved knowledge of the syndrome and increased comfort managing catatonia in practice. 171,172 Other resources for learning catatonia are available including the Catatonia Information Center 199 <catatonia.org> run by Dr Andrew Francis, and the National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative, an open-access educational collaborative which has a module on the use of ECT for catatonia in autism, 200 and which hosted a live case conference on catatonia as part of their Quarantine Curriculum's Mind-Body Day. 201 Widespread legal restrictions on ECT that place legal systems in between a doctor and patient in the therapeutic relationship, or disallow surrogate decision-makers, impede potentially life-saving or morbidity-reducing treatment in catatonia, and are inappropriate, inequitable, and harmful.…”

“…Unfamiliarity with catatonia has been evidenced in a study showing markedly lower catatonia knowledge in internal medicine residents compared to psychiatry residents. 171 At the same time, low catatonia knowledge has also been demonstrated among psychiatrists. 31,171,172 Additional Barriers Additional barriers in the US include required postprocedure transportation with escort, 175 a decrease in the number of hospitals providing ECT, 176 geographic limitations, and disparities in insurance coverage.…”

“…171 At the same time, low catatonia knowledge has also been demonstrated among psychiatrists. 31,171,172 Additional Barriers Additional barriers in the US include required postprocedure transportation with escort, 175 a decrease in the number of hospitals providing ECT, 176 geographic limitations, and disparities in insurance coverage. 177 Disproportionately low ECT use in people of color points to sociodemographic barriers as well.…”

“…170 A three-year retrospective chart review determined that 59% of patients meeting three or more of the DSM-5 criteria for catatonia in a general medical hospital were not diagnosed with catatonia, even in the third of those cases for which psychiatric consult was obtained. 32 The precise reasons for this under-recognition are not known, but may include the historic errors in nosology, 16 low catatonia knowledge, 31 , 171 , 172 lack of physical examinations done by psychiatrists, 173 , 174 or confusion regarding the opposing clinical features and variable presentations of catatonia. Unfamiliarity with catatonia has been evidenced in a study showing markedly lower catatonia knowledge in internal medicine residents compared to psychiatry residents.…”

“…Unfamiliarity with catatonia has been evidenced in a study showing markedly lower catatonia knowledge in internal medicine residents compared to psychiatry residents. 171 At the same time, low catatonia knowledge has also been demonstrated among psychiatrists. 31 , 171 , 172…”