Presentation and frequency of catatonia in new admissions to two acute psychiatric admission units in India and Wales

BACKGROUND: There are no modern cross-cultural comparative studies of the frequency and clinical presentation of catatonia in a Western country and India using standardized rating instruments and diagnostic criteria. METHOD: A total of 104 consecutively admitted patients in Wales and in India were screened for catatonic features using the same standardized rating instrument by the same psychiatrist to generate DSM-IV and other diagnostic criteria for catatonia, and a profile of signs in catatonia. Inter-rater reliability for the ratings made by the research psychiatrist was established with local psychiatrists at each unit. RESULTS: The frequency of DSM-IV criteria catatonia was 13.5% in India versus 9.6% in Wales ( N . S .). The severity of catatonia did not differ between the two units. However, retarded catatonia was more common in India (12.5%) versus Wales ( p