The Kids Are Not Alright! Uncommon Catatonia in Youth: Challenges and adaptive strategies for diagnosis, management, navigating & integrating related systems-of-care.

Abstract: Catatonia is increasingly recognized in youth, including those without preceding primary psychiatric illness. Pediatric catatonia has a neurologic or medical etiology at similar rates as a primary psychiatric cause. As such, nuances in its evaluation and treatment present increasing challenges for providers across medical specialties. Systems-of-care and legal burdens often impose additional barriers in care process, particularly in management and access to definitive treatments, such as ECT. In this submission the authors aim to utilize unusual case examples to highlight challenges and tactics in recognition, diagnostics, treatment, navigating care team dynamics and systems-of-care themes across age groups and neurodiversity. Dr. Julienne Jacobson will present on agitated catatonia and its overlap with hyperactive delirium in critical illness with neurologic involvement, highlighting integrative approach needs. Dr. Stanley Brewer will present on traversing diagnostic uncertainty, cultural and systems factors in managing schooled-age youth, including adapting technology assets. Dr. Dallas Hamlin will review descriptive psychopathology and co-morbidity in several cases of neurodiverse youth, including differentiating symptoms and targeting treatment interventions given overlap in diagnostic features and discussing strategies to achieve access to care interventions. Dr. Ortiz-Aguayo will round up the presentation with a series of engaging board-style cases aiming at consolidating audience knowledge around the presented themes and highlights of current literature. Audience participation will be fomented through use of polling as we work through the cases, involving attendants in questions & answers, and panel discussion. This session is sponsored by the Pediatric Special Interest Group.