Catatonia, originally described by Karl Kahlbaum in 1874, may be regarded as a set of clinical features found in a subtype of schizophrenia, but the syndrome may also stem from organic causes including vascular parkinsonism, brain masses, globus pallidus lesions, metabolic derangements, and pharmacologic agents, especially first generation antipsychotics. Catatonia may include paratonia, waxy f...

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 ...

OBJECTIVE Catatonia as a result of autoimmune conditions offers new therapeutic opportunities for patients that child and adolescent psychiatrists should consider. However, the diagnosis is sometimes challenging when an autoimmune signature is not identified. METHODS In this study, we aim to summarize seven cases from a 20-year series of 84 youths with catatonia, including three cases that re...

A 76-year-old woman presented with catatonia, refusal to eat due to delusion, and visual hallucination. Single photon emission computed tomography showed remarkable occipital hypoperfusion and frontal hyperperfusion. (123)I metaiodobenzyl guanidine myocardial scintigraphy revealed decreased uptake. She was diagnosed as probable dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Intravenous or oral L-dopa had no ...

Differential diagnosis of motor symptoms, for example, akinesia, may be difficult in clinical neuropsychiatry. Symptoms may be either of neurologic origin, for example, Parkinson's disease, or of psychiatric origin, for example, catatonia, leading to a so-called "conflict of paradigms." Despite their different origins, symptoms may appear more or less clinically similar. Possibility of dissocia...

Objective: To analyze the prevalence, the clinical, therapeutic and evolutional aspects of patients treated for catatonia with the intention to improve daily clinical care. Method: A retrospective study. Results: Between 2004 and 2013, 32 patients were clinically diagnosed as having catatonia, with a prevalence of 0.97% among hospitalized patients. The patients were predominantly under 40 years...

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 ...

In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5, catatonia is defined by the presence of three or more of 12 psychomotor disturbances, which may be associated with mental disorder or medical condition (Tandon et al. 2013). Catatonia could be treated with benzodiazepine (BZD) or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) (Lin & Huang 2013, Huang et al. 2013, Raveendranathan et al. 2012). Parkinson's disease (...

Paraphrasing Taylor and Fink (2003), catatonia needs "a home of its own" in child and adolescent psychiatry. Limited but expanding literature supports that catatonia in children and adolescent can be identified reliably among other childhood conditions, is sufficiently common, treatable with the same specific treatments as adult catatonia (e.g., sedative drugs and electroconvulsive therapy), an...