Clinical and biological study of senile depression with catatonia

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23591699
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: AMANO Naoji 信州大学, 学術研究院医学系, 教授 (10145691)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): HAGIWARA Tetsuya 信州大学, 学術研究院医学系, 助教 (00436891)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: カタトニア症候群 / 初老期・老年期 / 精神病理学 / 修正型電気けいれん療法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric syndrome that can be life-threatening, because patients who developed catatonia become difficult to control mental and physical function by self-will. Catatonia was connected primarily with schizophrenia in the conventional diagnostics, but it is frequently osbserved in patients with senile depression and other clinical conditions. It has become a problem that the diagnostic concept of catatonia was far from the actual condition. The diagnostic criteria were revised recently, but the diagnosis is still difficult because various kinds of similar symptoms can develop in the elderly patients. In this study, we examined the characteristic of the clinical course of catatonia syndrome, based on detailed follow-up of cases with senile depression and associated mental disorders. As a result, we conceptualized the characteristic of catatonia syndrome from the viewpoint of typology of clinical course, which will be useful for correctly diagnosing catatonia.

Free Research Field

老年精神医学