Hostname: page-component-6766d58669-nf276 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-18T01:27:52.161Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Catatonia – case report and review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Finian M O'Brien ,
Joan Moroney ,
Declan Lyons  and
Kieran C Murphy
Finian M O'Brien*
Affiliation:
Royal College of Surgeonsin, Ireland
Joan Moroney
Affiliation:
Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland
Declan Lyons
Affiliation:
St. Patrick's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland
Kieran C Murphy
Affiliation:
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland andBeaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland
*
*Correspondence E-mail: finobrien@rcsi.ie
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Catatonia is a neuro-psychiatric disorder that can occur in medical, psychiatric and drug-induced conditions but is often unrecognised. A 64 year-old woman was admitted to hospital for assessment of a significant deterioration in her ability to communicate and function normally so that she had become completely dependent on others for all activities of daily living for nearly three years. Outpatient medical and psychiatric assessments failed to clarify diagnosis. On admission to a general hospital, the neurology team initially believed she had a Parkinson's-like syndrome but after further investigation and comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment, including neuro-psychiatric review, she was diagnosed with catatonia. She was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she received electro-convulsive therapy and changes to her psychotropic medication regimen. She responded well to treatment and within a short period of time was able to function independently again.

Keywords

CatatoniaBipolar affective disorderElectroconvulsive therapy

Information

Type
Review
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , December 2010 , pp. 205 - 209
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1.American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.Google Scholar
2.Abrams, R, Taylor, MA: Catatonia: a prospective clinical study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1976; 33: 579–581.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Taylor, MA, Fink, M.Catatonia in psychiatric classification: a home of its own. Am J Psychiatry. 2003; 160: 1233–1241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Rosebush, PI, Hildebrand, AM, Furlong, BG, Mazurek, MF.Catatonic syndrome in a general psychiatric inpatient population: frequency, clinical presentation, and response to lorazepam. J Clin Psychiatry 1990; 51 (9): 357–62.Google Scholar
5.Van der Heijden, FMMA, Tuinier, S, Pepplinkhuizen, L, Verhoeven, WMA.Catatonia: the rise and fall of an intriguing psychopathological dimension. Acta Neuropsychiatrica. 2002: 14: 111–116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Van der Heijden, FMMA, Tuinier, S, Arts, NJM, Hoogendoorn, MLC, Kahn, RS, Verhoeven, WMA.Catatonia: Disappeared or Under-Diagnosed? Psychopathology. 2005; 38: 3–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Brasic, JR.Catatonia. 2005; 06 15th. Available at: http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic708.htmGoogle Scholar
8.Gelenberg, AJ.The catatonic syndrome. Lancet. 1976; 06 19; 1 (7973): 1339–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Taylor, MA.Catatonia. A review of the behavioural neurologic syndrome. Neuropsychiat Neuropsychol Behav Neurol. 1990; 3: 393–398.Google Scholar
10.Fink, M.Catatonia: syndrome or schizophrenia subtype? Recognition and treatment. J Neural Transm. 2001; 108: 637–644.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Peralta, V, Cuesta, MJ, Serrano, JF, Mata, I.The Kahlbaum syndrome. A study of its clinical validity, nosological status and relationship with schizophrenia and mood disorder. Compr Psychiatry. 1997; 38: 6167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Rummans, T, Bassingthwaighte, ME.Severe medical and neurologic complications associated with near-lethal catatonia treated with electroconvulsive therapy. Convulsive Ther. 1991;7: 121–124.Google ScholarPubMed
13.Swartz, C, Galang, RL.Adverse outcome with delay in identification of catatonia in elderly patients. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2001; 9: 78–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Abrams, R, Taylor, MA.Catatonia: prediction of response to somatic treatments. Am J Psychiatry. 1977; 134: 78–80.Google ScholarPubMed
15.Abrams, R, Taylor, MA, Stolurow, KAC.Catatonia and mania: patterns of cerebral dysfunction. Biol Psychiatry. 1979; 14: 111–117.Google ScholarPubMed
16.Morrison, JR.Catatonia: prediction of outcome. Compr Psychiatry. 1974; 15: 317–324.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Kahlbaum, KL.Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirreseins. Berlin: Hirschwald; 1874.Google Scholar
18.Peralta, V, Cuesta, MJ, Serrano, JF, Martinez-Larrea, JA.Classification issues in catatonia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2001; 251 (Suppl 1): 1/14–1/16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Rajagopal, S.Catatonia. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2007; 13: 51–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.Nonhoff, G.What catatonia can tell us about “top-down modulation”: A neuropsychiatrie hypothesis. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2002; 25(5); 555–577.Google Scholar
21.Kimber, TE, Thompson, PD, Kiley, MA.Resolution of dopamine dysregulation syndrome following cessation of dopamine agonist therapy in Parkinson's disease. J Clin Neurosci. 2008; 15 (2): 205–208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Galynker, I, Weiss, J, Finestone, H.ECT treatment and cerebral perfusion incatatonia. J of Nuclear Medicine. 1997; 38: 251–254.Google Scholar
23.Jahanshi, M and Frith, C.Willed action and its implications. Cognitive Neuropsychology. 1998; 15(6/7/8): 483–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Liddle, P.Volition and schizophrenia. In: David, A. (Ed) Neuropsychology of schizophrenia. 1994. Erlbaum, New York.Google Scholar
25.Luchins, D, Metz, R, Marks, R, Cooper, M.Basal ganglia regional metabolism asymmetry during a catatonic episode. Biol Psychiatry. 1989; 28:177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26.Nonhoff, G, Steinke, R, Czcerwenka, C, Kropf, D, Danos, P, Otto, H, Bogerts, B.Decreased density of GABA-A receptors in left sensorimnotor cortex in akinetic catatonia. J of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 1999; 67: 445–50.Google Scholar
27.Nonhoff, G, Steinke, R, Nagel, D, Czerwenka, C, Danos, P, Krause, P, Kropf, S, Otto, HJ, Bogerts, B.Right parietal cortical dysfunction in akinetic catatonia: A combined study of neuropsychology and regional cerebral blood flow. Psychological Medicine. 2000; 30: 583–96.Google Scholar
28.Ahuja, N.Organic catatonia: a review. Ind J Psychiatry. 2000; 42: 327–346.Google ScholarPubMed
29.Fricchione, G, Mann, S, Caroff, S.Catatonia, lethal catatonia, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Psychiatric Annals. 2000; 30(5): 347–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30.Hermesh, H, Aizenberg, D, Weizman, A, Lapidot, M, Mayor, C, Munitz, H.Risk for definite neuroleptic malignant syndrome: a prospective study in 223 consecutive in-patients. Br J Psychiatry. 1992; 161: 722–723.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31.Keck, PE, Pope, HG, Cohen, BM, McElroy, SL, Nierenberg, AA.Risk factors for neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989; 46: 914–918.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32.White, DAC, Robins, AH.Catatonia: harbinger of the neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Br J Psychiatry. 1991; 158: 419–421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33.Bush, G, Fink, M, Petrides, G.Catatonia. II. Treatment with lorazepam and electroconvulsive therapy. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1996 02; 93(2): 137–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34.Northoff, A, Pfennig, A, Krug, M; Schwartz, A, Danos, P, Bogerts, B.Delayed onset of late movement-related cortical potentials and abnormal response to lorazepam in catatonia. Schizophrenia Research. 2000; 44(3): 193–211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35.Ungvari, GS, Leung, CM, Wong, MK, et al.Benzodiazepines in the treatment of catatonic syndrome. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1994; 89: 285–288.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36.Gaind, GS, Rosebush, PI, Mazurek, MF.Lorazepam treatment of acute and 3-year history of catatonia in two mentally retarded brothers. J Clin Psychiatry. 1994 01; 55(1): 20–3.Google Scholar
37.Ungvari, GS, Chiu, HFK, Chow, LY, Lau, BST, Tang, WK.Lorazepam for chronic catatonia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study. Psychopharmacology. 1999; 142 (4): 1432–2072.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38.Rohland, BM, Carroll, BT, Jacoby, RG.ECT in the treatment of the catatonic syndrome. J Affect Disord. 1993; 29: 255–261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed