Differential diagnosis of idiopathic psychomotor psychoses. II — Modernity

The second part of the article continues the analysis of the fundamental differences between the pathophysiology, clinic, course, and outcomes of cycloid motility psychosis, periodic catatonia, and persistent catatonia. It is evident that the diagnostic criteria outlined in the International Classifications of Diseases in their 10th and 11th editions hinder their accurate distinction. The substitution of «operational criteria» for clinical phenomenology, the mechanistic unification of any psychomotor abnormalities into a construct of catatonia, leads to a distortion of basic concepts and low productivity of scientific research in this field. According to the authors, a return to the generally accepted phenomenological diagnosis in all clinical disciplines is necessary. The systematics of psychomotor psychoses developed by the Wernicke-Kleist-Leonhard school can serve as a promising basis for practical application and further research.