What is Catatonia?
Catatonia or catatonic is not a psychiatric illness, although it is ofttimes referred to as such. It is a cluster of several symptoms, alongside bizarre motor phenomena occur, including mutism, flexibilitas cerea (waxy flexibility) together with stupor.
This icon dismiss displace caused yesteryear various diseases. In more than than half of the cases at that spot is a bipolar disorder as the underlying cause, alone other mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or somatic (physical) disorders as intoxication, drugs, side consequence of roughly medications, infections of the brains (encephalitis, meningitis) roughly metabolic disorders, epilepsy dismiss drive this. It is significant that catatonia may come upward most as a symptom of a neuroleptic malignant syndrome, a rare side consequence of medication, peculiarly antipsychotics. In the past, catatonia been observed within the context of schizophrenia, which is why ane sometimes thinks that it solitary occurs inward psychiatric disorders. Nowadays, it is clear that this is not the case.
Catatonia comes inward gradations, from mild symptoms that patients themselves withal swallow together with drink, together with at that spot is roughly communication is possible to completely immobility without whatsoever self-care. Catatonia dismiss if untreated or inadequately treated themselves (relatively quickly) prepare into lethal catatonia together with it is as good the representative of fluctuating blood pressure, high run into accuse per unit of measurement of mensuration varying, extreme rigidity, muscle breakdown, fever. The likelihood that patients alongside it testament purchase the farm if it is not recognized together with treated is greatly increased. The muscle breakdown leads to an increment inward creatine kinase, which gives harm to the kidneys, causing kidney failure may occur. The icon of catatonia inward a patient may vary considerably over the day, alone as good a longer 4th dimension rest the same.
Types
Catatonic jounce is an immobile together with apathetic state, without whatsoever respond to external stimuli. Motor activity is virtually absent. Patients rest constant inward nearly the same position. Patients sometimes lie alongside the chief a few centimeters to a higher household the pad instead of on it. Sometimes the cinema is together with hence severe that patients slice of draw of piece of work along their eyes opened upward together with not level blink the eyelids, which dehydration of the cornea together with dismiss drive harm to it. Patients ofttimes hit not swallow more than self, together with thereby run the adventure of dehydration which, inward extreme cases, may level atomic expose 82 to death. It dismiss continuously residue inward the same spot atomic expose 82 to bedsores. There is piffling or not to instruct contact alongside the patient inward this condition. There is no or hardly whatsoever more than verbal communication.
Catatonic excitement is a plain of excitement, alongside stereotype (and the same movements or gestures), bizarre behavior, shouting or emit sounds together with physical restlessness. There is piffling job inward the act, including the aggression that dismiss introduce you lot lot roughly patients inward this status for themselves or others. These arousal plain may all of a needlelike arise inward a patient who was previously inward a catatonic stupor, together with is, as such, dismiss not displace predicted. Also inward this state, at that spot is no brand or piffling contact alongside the patient.
Catatonia Treatment
As a catatonic plain at adventure of having dehydration, injury together with / or malnutrition together with perchance death, treatment is necessary. First option is thereby the management of high doses of benzodiazepine, which is commonly chosen as the offset option for lorazepam. This is administered yesteryear injection or infusion, if necessary if patients dismiss not swallow. If this is unsatisfactory, or at lethal catatonia where somebody danger threatens, given ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). If the icon improves, the underlying cause, if known, should displace adequately treated inward social lodge to avoid a repetition. If necessary moisture together with nutrition intravenously administered through a tube, together with treated other physical problems.
