Association of adolescent catatonia with increased mortality and morbidity: Evidence from a prospective follow-up study

Catatonia is one of the most severe psychiatric syndromes in adolescents. It is associated with a 60-fold increased risk of premature death, including suicide, when compared to the general population of same sex and age. This increased risk of premature death remains higher than the one measured in former adolescent psychiatric patients (all-cause SMR = 221; 95% CI = 156-303; Engqvist and Rydelius, 2006), or in schizophrenia irrespective to age and subtype (all-cause SMR = 157; 95% CI = 153-160; Harris and Barraclough, 1998).