Catatonia: From 3 Different Sources
A state in which a person becomes mute or adopts a bizarre, rigid pose.
It is seen in a rare form of schizophrenia and some types of brain disease.
A condition in which an individual takes up odd postures, often accompanied by muteness or semi-coma. The arms and legs may be moved passively by someone else into positions that the sufferer then holds for many hours. Catatonia occurs in SCHIZOPHRENIA. It may also be associated with organic brain disease such as encephalitis lethargica (see ENCEPHALITIS), tumours and carbon monoxide intoxication.
n. a state in which a person becomes mute or stuporous or adopts bizarre postures. The features include waxy flexibility (flexibilitas cerea), in which the limbs may be moved passively by another person into positions that are then retained for hours on end. Other common features include non-goal-directed excitement, *posturing, *negativism, rigidity, and command automatism (automatic compliance with instructions). Catatonia usually occurs in the context of *schizophrenia, but is now rarely seen in developed countries. It remains common in developing countries. Treatment includes high-dose *benzodiazepines and *electroconvulsive therapy. —catatonic adj.
A physical condition in which part or all of the body becomes rigid. It is characterised by the adoption of strange – often statue-like – poses (CATATONIA), which may pass o? within a few minutes or may last for several hours (rarely, days). Typically brought on by a sudden mental trauma, catalepsy may occur with prolonged depression or some other serious MENTAL ILLNESS, and occasionally with EPILEPSY. Successful treatment must depend upon due recognition of all precipitating factors and circumstances.... catalepsy
A disease characterised by abnormal storage of LIPID, particularly in the SPLEEN, central nervous system, BONE MARROW, and LIVER. This results in enlargement of the spleen and the liver – particularly of the former – and ANAEMIA. It runs a chronic course. Diagnosis is usually by skin ?broblast glucocerebrosidase assay. Death often results from PNEUMONIA or bleeding. Infantile Gaucher’s often presents with marked neurological signs of rigid neck DYSPHAGIA, CATATONIA, hyper-re?exia and low IQ. The disease can now be treated with enzyme replacement using alglucerase. The annual cost per patient is substantial – several thousand pounds.... gaucher’s disease
A general term for a group of psychotic illnesses that are characterized by disturbances in thinking, emotional reaction, and behaviour.
Onset can be at any age but is most common in late adolescence and the early 20s, and may be triggered by stress. No causes have been identified, but many have been implicated. It is likely that inheritance plays a role. Disruption of the activity of some neurotransmitters in the brain is a possible mechanism. Brain imaging techniques have revealed abnormalities of structure and function in people with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia may begin insidiously, with the individual becoming slowly more withdrawn and losing motivation. In other cases, the illness comes on more suddenly, often in response to external stress. The main symptoms are various forms of delusions such as those of persecution (which are typical of paranoid schizophrenia); hallucinations, which are usually auditory (hearing voices), but which may also be visual or tactile; and thought disorder, leading to impaired concentration and thought processes. Disordered thinking is often reflected in muddled and disjointed speech. Behaviour is eccentric, and selfneglect common. In a rare form of schizophrenia, catatonia may occur, in which rigid postures are adopted for prolonged periods, or there are outbursts of repeated movement.
Diagnosis of schizophrenia may take some time and, in some cases, it may be difficult to make a diagnosis at all.
Treatment is mainly with antipsychotic drugs, such as phenothiazine drugs, and new atypical antipsychotic drugs such as risperidone. In some cases, the drugs are given as monthly depot injections. Once the symptoms are controlled, community care, vocational opportunities, and family counselling can help to prevent a relapse.
Some people may make a complete recovery. However, the majority have relapses punctuated with partial or full recovery. A small proportion have a severe life-long disability.... schizophrenia
n. a psychiatric symptom occasionally seen in *schizophrenia and *catatonia: a state of ambivalence with alternation of cooperation and opposition. For instance, a patient may not know whether or not to shake the interviewer’s hand, constantly shifting between holding the hand out and withdrawing it.... ambitendence
pathological imitation of the actions of another person. It may be a symptom of *catatonia or of *latah. It is sometimes called echokinesis.... echopraxia
see catatonia.... flexibilitas cerea
n. behaviour that is the opposite of that suggested by others. In active negativism the individual does the opposite of what is asked for (for example, screws the eyes up when asked to open them). In *psychosis it is usually associated with other features of *catatonia. In passive negativism the person fails to cooperate (for example, stops eating). This occurs in *schizophrenia and *depression.... negativism
a life-threatening syndrome seen after starting *antipsychotic medication. It is characterized by confusion, muscle rigidity, fever, pallor and sweating, urinary incontinence, and a high level of *creatine kinase. Its symptoms can appear similar to *catatonia. Treatment in a high-dependency unit with high-dose benzodiazepines and immediate cessation of antipsychotic drugs is usually indicated.... neuroleptic malignant syndrome
(ECT) a treatment for severe depression and occasionally for *puerperal psychosis, catatonia, and *mania. A convulsion is produced by passing an electric current through the brain; this is thought to induce stimulation, and is modified by giving a *muscle relaxant drug and an *anaesthetic, so that in fact only a few muscle twitches are produced. The procedure can temporarily cause confusion and headache, which almost always pass off within a few hours. Patients often complain of memory problems during treatment, which normally subside when the treatment has ended. These side-effects are reduced by unilateral treatment, in which the current is passed only through the non-dominant hemisphere of the brain. A course of ECT usually entails between 6 and 10 treatments; sometimes up to 16 treatments are given to achieve remission of depression. ECT is effective in about 50% of patients in whom no other antidepressant treatment was successful, and NICE guidelines suggest it should be used in such cases. However, the beneficial effect on mood does not always last. Occasionally maintenance ECT (usually involving one treatment every 2–4 weeks) is given to avoid relapse after a completed course of ECT. Under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended 2007), special legal provision applies to ECT.... electroconvulsive therapy
n. (in psychiatry) voluntarily assuming and maintaining bizarre or inappropriate postures. It is a feature of *catatonia.... posturing
n. the constant repetition of a complex action, which is carried out in the same way each time. It is seen in *catatonia and *autism; sometimes it is an isolated symptom in people with *learning disability. It is more common in patients who live in institutions where they are bored and unstimulated and can sometimes cause physical injury to the patient.... stereotypy
n. a state in which reaction to the environment is diminished although awareness is not impaired. It can be caused by hypnosis, meditation, catatonia, conversion disorder, drugs (such as hallucinogens), and religious ecstasy.... trance
the clinical condition of unawareness of the self or the environment. The patient breathes spontaneously and has a stable circulation and sleep/wake cycles. It results from extensive damage to the cerebral cortex and thalamus while the brainstem and hypothalamus remain intact. The commonest causes are traumatic brain injury (e.g. road-traffic accidents) and cardiopulmonary arrest. Conditions that mimic the vegetative state include the psychiatric state of *catatonia and the locked-in syndrome, resulting from damage to the brainstem, in which the patient is conscious but unable to speak or make any movements of the body except for blinking and upward eye movements. See also persistent vegetative state.... vegetative state
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