What is catatonia?
Catatonia has been described as a state of apparent unresponsiveness to external stimuli in a person who is apparently awake.
DSM-5 characterizes catatonia as
- resistance to instructions (negativism);
- motoric immobility or excessive motor activity (catatonic excitement);
- a complete lack of verbal and motor responses (mutism and stupor);
- repeated stereotyped movements;
- peculiarities of voluntary movement (staring, grimacing);
- and echoing of speech (echolalia or echopraxia).
Catatonic symptoms have been reported in the setting of multiple psychiatric as well as many general medical disorders.
