Psychosis information: Catatonia

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Catatonia is a complex symptom that is characterized by abnormal movements and behaviors,
immobility, and withdrawal. Its onset can be quick or subtle and its symptoms can wax and wane.
Historically, it is related to schizophrenia, but it's most often seen in mood disorders.
There are three main types.

Withdrawn catatonia:

This is decreased response to external stimuli, immobility or lessened movement, mutism, staring,
posturing, and negativism. People may sit in the same position for hours, hold odd positions, and resist movement.

Excited catatonia:

This is where you have odd mannerisms/gestures, perform purposeless or innappropriate actions,
have excessive motor activity, are restless, impulsive, agitated, combative, and experience
stereotypy (repetitive movements). Speech/behavior may be repetitive and may mimic another person's.

Malignant catatonia:

This is a life-threatening version of catatonia that might progress rapidly within a few days. It
has fever, abnormalities in blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, sweating, and delirium.
This can overlap greatly with NMS (neuroleptic malignant syndrome).

Symptoms of catatonia

Excitement:

Extreme hyperactivity and constant motor unrest that appears without a purpose that isn't
akathisia or goal-directed agitation.

Immobility/stupor:

Extreme hypoactivity (no activity), immobility, minimal response to stimuli

Mutism:

Minimal or no verbal response

Staring:

Fixed gaze with little or no visual scanning of the environment and decreased blinking

Posturing/catalepsy:

Spontaneous maintenance of postures including mundane ones, like sitting for long periods without reacting

Grimacing:

The maintaining of odd facial expressions

Echopraxia:

Mimicking another's movements

Echolalia:

Mimicking another's speech

Stereotypy:

Repetitive non-goal directed motor activity (playing with fingers, repeatedly patting yourself.)
The abnormality is not in the behavior but in its frequency

Mannerisms:

Odd, purposeful movements (hopping, walking tiptoed, saluting passerbys), abnormality is inherent in the act itself

Verbigeration:

Repetition of phrases or sentences like a scratched record

Rigidity:

Maintenance of a rigid position despite efforts to be moved

Negativism:

Apparently motiveless resistence to instructions, or doing the behavior opposite to the instruction

Waxy flexibility:

When repostured, there is initial resistence before allowing oneself to be repostured, like bending a candle

Withdrawal:

Refusal to eat, drink, and/or make eye contact