Periodic Catatonia: a Case Report

The clinical description of periodic catatonia is well documented by the earliest exponents of psychiatry. Gjessing (1935) carried out extensive metabolic and clinical studies in cases of periodic catatonia. He reported diphasic course of nitrogen metabolism associated with periodic mental changes and described 3 types of syntonic synchronous (S.S.) periodic catatonias, Type A, B and C. (Gjessing 1935, Gjessing and Gjessing 1961). In type A, the psychotic illness started just before the end of nitrogen retention and continued during negative nitrogen balance, in type B it started at the mid point and in type C it started towards the end of negative nitrogen balance and nitrogen retention was found through-out the phase of psychosis. Jenner (1967) commented that it was very difficult not to find cases analogous to Gjessing's periodic catatonia. We present a report of a patient who was found to have unmistakable evidence of type C periodic catatonia.