Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Catatonia: The "Iron Triangle" Rediscovered in a Case Report.

Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome, occurring in the context of different psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, in neurological and medical disorders, and after substance abuse or withdrawal. The relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSDs) and catatonia has been previously discussed, with the three disorders interpreted as different manifestations of the same underlying brain disorder (the "Iron Triangle"). We discuss in this paper the diagnostic, clinical and therapeutic implications of this complex relationship in an adolescent with ASD, who presented an acute psychotic onset with catatonia, associated with mixed mood symptoms.

Clinical features and predictors of non-response in severe catatonic patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy.

Objective: To explore the demographic and clinical features of severe catatonic patients, comparing responders and non-responders to ECT in order to detect possible predictors of non-response.

Methods: This naturalistic study included 59 catatonic inpatients with a diagnosis of mood disorder according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. All patients were treated with bilateral ECT and evaluated before and after ECT course.

Association between affective temperaments and mood features in bipolar disorder II: The role of insomnia and chronobiological rhythms desynchronization.

Background: Bipolar disorders are complex disorders involving the interaction of multiple factors. Affective temperaments, insomnia, and chronobiological rhythms desynchronization may all contribute to bipolar disorder. Since there is a paucity of research examining this topic we aimed to study how they are interrelated and collectively associated with clinical features of bipolar disorder.