Immobility with muscular rigidity or inflexibility and, at times, excitability.
A condition characterized by varying degrees of withdrawal with the person becoming unresponsive to stimuli with possible immobility.
A condition in which a psychiatric patient is either motionless or shows violent reactions to stimulation.
Syndrome in which motor behavior is disturbed, usually characterized by body rigidity and stupor but sometimes by impulsive and purposeless activity. It is usually associated with mental illness, especially schizophrenia, but occasionally occurs in other disorders (e.g., encephalitis).
An extreme expression of physical activity in which the individual is either completely immobile or frantically overactive. A person immobilized by catatonia may hold a bizarre posture for hours or resist being moved; those who are hyperactive engage in frantic behavior that has no apparent purpose. Symptoms may also include resistance to all instructions, inability to talk (mutism), stupor, strange gestures or grimaces, unusual mannerisms, purposeless repetition of a word just spoken by someone else (echolalia), and repeated imitation of someone else’s movements. People with catatonia may pose a risk to themselves or others and require supervision.
A syndrome of motor abnormalities associated with an abnormal mental state. The symptoms may be excited: stereotypy, stilted overactivity, and purposeless violence; or inhibited: stupor, catalepsy, flexibilitas cerea, and negativism. Commonly they are features of catatonic schizophrenia but they are also seen in other conditions, including encephalitis and hysteria. The syndrome can often be modified by suggestion. The symptoms usually respond transiently to intravenous barbiturates. The major tranquilizers are effective therapy, and electroconvulsive therapy is sometimes used.
A condition in which an individual takes up odd postures, often accompanied by muteness or semi-coma. The arms and legs may be moved passively by someone else into positions that the sufferer then holds for many hours. Catatonia occurs in schizophrenia. It may also be associated with organic brain disease such as encephalitis lethargica, tumours and carbon monoxide intoxication.
A phase of schizophrenia in which the patient is unresponsive, marked by the tendency to assume and remain in a fixed posture and the inability to move or talk.
A psychomotor disturbance is observed, which is distinguished by muscular rigidity, heightened excitement, or a state of stupor.
A condition characterized by muteness and the adoption of peculiar, inflexible postures by an individual. Although their eyes remain open and they appear awake, they exhibit a lack of voluntary movements. This state is observed in certain uncommon manifestations of schizophrenia and specific types of brain disorders.
A sign of mental health conditions, often seen in schizophrenia, where the individual holds their limbs in a specific position for an extended duration. For example, if the patient’s arm is raised above their head, they will maintain that position for a length of time that would be unbearable for someone without the condition, due to fatigue and discomfort. This is also referred to as catatonia.