[Decrease of catatonic schizophrenia in patients hospitalized in 1984 in comparison to 1964]

It has been suggested that manifestations of mental illnesses have been changing during the last decades. Thus, the catatonic form of schizophrenia is scarcely observed nowadays and should be about to disappear. Changes in both catatonic schizophrenia prevalence, and catatonic symptoms are analyzed according to revisions dated 1964, and 1984, of the clinical records to be found at the Psychiatric Clinic, University of Chile. A diminution of schizophrenia catatonic forms in 1984 records was found out when comparing with 1964 records. A diminution of catatonic symptons--usually associated to severe forms of schizophrenia--was also noticeable. In both groups, however, such variations have no relation whatever with the extent of the evolutive period prior to institutionalization.