Mechanism of Catatonia Clinical Features of Catatonia

The concept of catatonia was first described by Kahlbaum (1874). Catatonic stupor is one of the most dramatic psychiatric presentations, but is becoming increasingly rare in the Western world. However, it has been suggested that catatonia is under-recognised and under-diagnosed (Van der Heijden et al, 2005). Although the introduction of antipsychotics has reduced the incidence of catatonia, it is still not uncommon (Stompe et al, 2002) and its detection rate can be significantly improved by using a standardised rating scale (Van der Heijden et al, 2005).