Catatonia in depression: prevalence, clinical correlates, and validation of a scale.

Objectives: To examine the clinical correlates of catatonia in depression, to validate a scale for catatonia, and to assess the validity of the DSM-IV criteria of the catatonic features specifier for mood disorders.

Methods: A series of 79 consecutive patients with depression and 41 patients with Parkinson's disease without depression were examined using the modified Rogers scale (MRS), the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS), and the structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R (SCID).

Results: Sixteen of the 79 depressed patients (20%) had catatonia.

The prevalence and clinical correlates of apathy and irritability in Alzheimer's disease.

We examined the prevalence and correlates of apathy and irritability in a consecutive series of 101 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on clinical criteria, 46 (46%) patients had apathy, and 13 (13%) patients had irritability. Apathy was significantly associated with more severe impairments in activities of daily living, significantly more severe extrapyramidal signs, and a significantly higher frequency of both major depression and dysthymia.

Prevalence and clinical correlates of pathological affective display in Alzheimer's disease.

This study examined the prevalence and correlates of pathological affect in Alzheimer's disease. A consecutive series of 103 patients with Alzheimer's disease were examined with a comprehensive psychiatric assessment that included the pathological laughing and crying scale (PLACS). Forty patients (39%) showed pathological affect: 25% showed crying episodes, and 14% showed laughing or mixed (laughing and crying) episodes.

Neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological correlates of delusions in Alzheimer's disease.

We examined the prevalence, phenomenology, and clinical correlates of delusions in a consecutive series of 103 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients were examined with the Present State Exam and the Dementia-Psychosis Scale. Twenty-one patients (20%) met DSM-III-R criteria for a delusional disorder.