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Pseudoakathisia, akathisia and gender

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jean Stubbs
Jean Stubbs*
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacy, St Andrew's Hospital, Billing Road, Northampton NN1 5DG
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Abstract

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Type
Correspondence
Information
Advances in Psychiatric Treatment , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , March 2001 , pp. 160
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2001 

Pseudoakathisia, akathisia and gender

Gervin & Barnes (2000) presented an overview of drug-related movement disorders and a brief standardised examination for their assessment. We were interested to be reminded of the presentation of pseudoakathisia and the suggestion that the condition seems to be more common in males. Halstead et al (1994) reported this association, although the difference was not statistically significant. In a study of the prevalence of akathisia in 64 patients with mental disorder at St Andrew's Hospital, we found that all four patients with pseudoakathisia were male, but of the 14 patients with akathisia, nine were female (Reference Stubbs and HalsteadStubbs et al, 2000). However, most epidemiological studies have not revealed any gender differences in vulnerability to akathisia itself.

A difference in susceptibility of the genders to developing akathisia and pseudoakathisia raises intriguing questions on the interrelationship between the two akathisia subgroups (Reference Halstead, Barnes and SpellerStubbs & Halstead, 2000).

References

Gervin & Barnes (2000) presented an overview of drug-related movement disorders and a brief standardised examination for their assessment. We were interested to be reminded of the presentation of pseudoakathisia and the suggestion that the condition seems to be more common in males. Halstead et al (1994) reported this association, although the difference was not statistically significant. In a study of the prevalence of akathisia in 64 patients with mental disorder at St Andrew's Hospital, we found that all four patients with pseudoakathisia were male, but of the 14 patients with akathisia, nine were female (Stubbs et al, 2000). However, most epidemiological studies have not revealed any gender differences in vulnerability to akathisia itself.Google Scholar
Gervin, M. & Barnes, T. R. E. (2000) Assessment of drug-related movement disorders in schizophrenia. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 6, 332–341.Google Scholar
Halstead, S. M., Barnes, T. R. E. & Speller, J. C. (1994) Akathisia: prevalence and associated dysphoria in an in-patient population with chronic schizophrenia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 177–183.Google Scholar
Stubbs, J. H. & Halstead, S. M. (2000) Pseudoakathisia: a review and two case reports. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 41, 70–72.Google Scholar
Stubbs, J. H., Hutchins, D. A. & Mountjoy, C. Q. (2000) Relationship of akathisia to aggressive and self-referral centre. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice (in press).Google Scholar
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