Diagnosing and treating catatonia in low- and middle-income countries - a scoping review

Catatonia is a common neuropsychiatric condition in in- and outpatient settings that can be life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Over the last few decades, our understanding of catatonia has significantly evolved. Where, how, and in which patient populations catatonia gets diagnosed and treated in low- and middle-income countries is unclear. We conducted a scoping review to answer this question. In total, we extracted data from 249 papers published between 2013 and 2022. Seventy seven percent of extracted papers came from five countries. Patients were typically seen in diverse care settings with diagnostic workups and therapeutic interventions approximating the 2023 guidelines for managing catatonia published by the British Association of Psychopharmacology. However, rigorous reports of the criteria for diagnosing catatonia, the underlying cause, and the specifics of treatment are missing. This scoping review may orient researchers to address gaps in the current body of knowledge.