Trust staff author paper on possible cause of acute catatonia

Two Trust staff members have contributed to a journal article featured on the website Science Direct.

Dr Jordi Serra-Mestre, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Marco Isetta, Head of Technology-enhanced Learning, Library and Knowledge Services, were among the authors of the paper on General Hospital Psychiatry.

ScienceDirect is the world's leading source for scientific, technical, and medical research.

Their review of case studies suggests that when examining patients with acute catatonia, clinicians should consider N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibody encephalitis (NMDAr-AbE) as a possible root cause, especially when catatonic symptoms fluctuate.

Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric condition that affects behaviour and motor function, and results in unresponsiveness in someone who otherwise appears to be awake.