Personal Dimensions in First Psychotic Episode Patients with Catatonia.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• First-episode psychosis (FEP) presents diverse clinical manifestations.
• Acute catatonia is a complex psychomotor syndrome that can occur in FEP.
• Understanding personality traits in FEP with catatonia is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate personality differences in patients with first-episode psychosis and acute catatonia.
• To compare personality profiles of catatonic FEP patients, non-catatonic FEP patients, and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Observational, cross-sectional study design.
• Involved 82 patients with first-episode psychosis and acute catatonia, 74 non-catatonic FEP patients, and 47 healthy controls.
• Utilized clinical interviews, medical records review, and psychometric assessments including the PANSS, BFCRS, Big Five Personality Factor Questionnaire (5PFQ), and Beck's Personality Beliefs Questionnaire (PBQ).

Main Results:

• Significant differences were found in the 5PFQ factor 'expressiveness vs. practicality' across the three groups.
• Patients with catatonic symptoms exhibited significantly lower scores on this factor compared to both non-catatonic FEP patients and healthy controls.
• The 'sensitivity vs. insensitivity' parameter was identified as a primary influence on the observed differences in expressiveness and practicality.

Conclusions:

• First-episode psychosis patients with acute catatonia display distinct personality traits, specifically reduced expressiveness and practicality.
• These findings suggest a potential link between specific personality dimensions and the manifestation of catatonia in early psychosis.
• Further research is warranted to explore the etiological and clinical implications of these personality differences in catatonic psychosis.